Beethoven & Beyond The Piano Concertos at Arts Centre Melbourne Hamer Hall

Beethoven’s five Piano Concertos, as with his nine Symphonies, represent classical music’s greatest monuments. Given their formidable technical requirements, the concertos are rarely performed as a series, but English virtuoso Paul Lewis will tackle the challenge in this series of four unforgettable concerts. Scottish maestro Douglas Boyd, who directed a Beethoven symphony cycle with the MSO in 2011, makes a welcome return.

When Paul Lewis played all five Beethoven Piano Concertos at the BBC Proms in 2010 he said: ‘There is definitely some kind of journey from the first to the last Piano Concerto. Not a comprehensive journey. To my mind, it tells very specific, individual and valuable things about Beethoven. Each piece is unique.’
Beethoven’s Piano Concertos form the centrepiece of Beethoven & Beyond. But the four concerts also put Beethoven in perspective with other composers, looking to music of earlier and later ages. The Festival features three of Haydn’s last symphonies as well as works from 20th-century composers of the Second Viennese School – Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. Additional performances, talks and activities around the Beethoven & Beyond festival will be announced in February 2016.