Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra: Program 1 - Heroic at Concert Hall, QPAC

Since its first concert in 1888, the Concertgebouw Orchestra has been special. Resident in the opulent Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Dutch for concert hall), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has cultivated a sound that combines velvety smoothness with the steely virtuosity of 120 of the world’s best musicians.


PROGRAM 1 - HEROIC
Sunday 24 November, 7.30pm
Mariss Jansons - Conductor
*Yefim Bronfman - Piano
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 in C Minor, Op.37
R Strauss Ein Heldenleben

One reviewer of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto said that it requires a soloist 'who, in addition to everything one associates with virtuosity, has understanding in his head and a heart in his breast.' He could have been describing Yefim Bronfman, a pianist celebrated for his selfless devotion to music coupled with his emotional intelligence and formidable technique. This concerto is Beethoven's homage to Mozart, a fusion of Classical balance with Romantic intensity. Calling for the utmost sensitivity on the part of soloist and orchestra, it swings from stark drama to barbed wit by way of a celestial slow movement.

In 1897, Richard Strauss described the Concertgebouw Orchestra as being 'really magnificent, full of youthful vigour and enthusiasm.' The next year he composed his tone-poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) and dedicated it to the Orchestra and its second conductor, Willem Mengelberg.

The hero of the title is the composer himself. In this musical autobiography he depicts himself in grandiose terms as he battles carping critics, makes love to his sweetheart and liberally quotes from his own works. Whether serious or tongue-in-heek, it is a sonic spectacular with few rivals, designed to showcase every virtuoso player and the luscious sound of this magnificent ensemble.