Programme

Concert description

SOLD OUT

Play by ear Theatre:

Kaja Prusinowska
Janusz Prusinowski
Piotr Piszczatowski
Aleksander Kwietniak
Hania i Staś Prusinowscy, Marysia Piszczatowska

Family concert 3-7 years old

Programme

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

I. Allegro moderato

II. Andante con moto

III. Rondo: Vivace

Concert description

It is easy to recognize Piano Concerto No. 4. Unusually for the concerto, the orchestra entry is preceded by a chordal introduction of the solo piano. Only after that comes the traditional orchestral exposition of themes. The light, cheerful and playful rondo-finale is separated from the first movement by a meditative Andante played by the piano in a dialogue with the strings. The unique and distinctive style of the concerto, often overshadowed by the Emperor Concerto can be better appreciated when juxtaposed with Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, which were completed at the same time and were premiered together at Beethoven’s legendary benefit concert in December 1808. The chamber arrangement for piano and string quintet, made by the composer himself, enhances the intimate character of this luminous piece.

Programme

Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91, arrangement for wind instruments by Marcin Masecki

I. Schlacht (Battle)

II. Sieges Symphonie (Victory Symphony)

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 Emperor, arrengement for wind instruments  and piano by Marcin Masecki

I. Allegro

II. Adagio un poco mosso

III. Rondo: Allegro

Concert description

The Panharmonicon is a mechanical device that could imitate the sounds of a military band. This instrument and other technological innovations by the inventor of the metronome, Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, fascinated Beethoven. Mälzel also helped the composer with his deafness by designing ear trumpets for him. Moreover, the inventor was a talented showman – with the use of his automata he staged the defeats of the hated Napoleon in Vienna. After Wellington’s Spanish victory in 1813, he persuaded the composer to compose a battle piece for his Panharmonicon. Riding on the wave of patriotism, the orchestral version of Wellington’s Victory was met with enthusiasm in Vienna and contributed to the success of the Symphony No. 7. Conducted by Marcin Masecki, the Panharmonicon Orchestra will recreate the atmosphere of the battle and perform a special version of the Emperor Concerto. Beethoven wrote this concerto during 1809, as Vienna was under siege by Napoleon’s armies.

Programme

The Grosse Fuge Op. 133

String Quartet No.1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1

I. Allegro con brio

II. Adagio affetuoso ed appassionato

III. Scherzo: Allegro molto

IV. Allegro

Concert description

Beethoven wrote string quartets throughout his entire life. He composed 16 pieces, beginning with six quartets from Opus 18 (1798-1800), going through three quartets dedicated to Ambassador Razumovsky from Opus 59 (1806-14), the Harp from Opus 74 (1809), the Serioso from Opus 95 (1810), and ending with five “late quartets” (1824-27). The Meccore String Quartet brings together one of the first works of the genre, String Quartet No. 1, Op. 18, and the legendary Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, which was recognized in the 20th century as Beethoven’s greatest achievement.

Programme

Septet in E-flat major, Op.20

I. Adagio – Allegro con brio

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Tempo di menuetto

IV. Tema con variazioni: Andante

V. Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace

VI. Andante con moto alla marcia – Presto

Concert description

SOLD OUT

Beethoven’s Septet in E flat major is one of those fortunate cases where an important piece in the history of music delighted listeners and performers during the composer’s lifetime. Given the numerous arrangements for various ensembles, Beethoven’s own arrangement for piano trio, Op. 38, and multiple accounts of home performances throughout the 19th century, the septet can be viewed as one of the composer’s most popular works. The light character of Mozart’s music is present in the series, as Beethoven’s Septet shares many similarities with Divertimento in D major KV 334.

Concert description

SOLD OUT

Play by ear Theatre:

Kaja Prusinowska
Janusz Prusinowski
Piotr Piszczatowski
Aleksander Kwietniak
Hania i Staś Prusinowscy, Marysia Piszczatowska

Family concert 3-7 years old

Programme

Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67, arrangement for piano quartet (violin, cello, piano four-hands), by Carl Burchard

I. Allegro con brio

II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo: Allegro
IV. Finale: Allegro

Sergei Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, arrangement for two pianos by Rikuya Terashima

I. Allegro con brio

II. Larghetto

III. Gavotte: Non troppo allegro

IV. Finale: Molto vivace

Concert description

SOLD OUT

No festival devoted to Beethoven would not be complete without the most famous motif in the history of music! According to his biographer Anton Schindler, Beethoven described the rhythm as “the sound of fate knocking on the door”. Although this story is now believed to be apocryphal, the Symphony No. 5 carries such an emotional charge and a narrative potential that ever since the piece’s premiere at Theater an der Wien in December 1808, there has been a need to explore it in more depth.  It has been a challenge for composers in the past and the present as evidenced by numerous paraphrases and arrangements. One of the arrangements, for piano four-hands accompanied by violin and cello, was created by Carl Burchard (1818-96). The program will be complemented by Sergei Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony in an arrangement for two pianos, a particular favorite of Martha Argerich.

Programme

Beethoven for 12 saxophones

Egmont Overture, Op. 84

Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major, Op. 56

I. Allegro

II. Largo
III. Rondo alla polacca

Concert description

SOLD OUT

Beethoven composed symphonies, concertos, piano sonatas, and quartets. He is most closely associated with the musical forms he redefined. However, it is worth remembering that Beethoven’s first opus is a set of piano trios. Inherited from Haydn and Mozart, this form accompanied Beethoven through his whole life and must have been important to him, as in his Triple Concerto from 1804 he gave voice to as many as three soloists – violin, cello and piano. In this rarely performed piece, the Polish listener may hear the familiar rhythm of the polonaise, often mistaken for a bolero, which is one more reason to get familiarized with the Triple Concerto. The concert will open with Paweł Gusnar’s spectacular 12-person Warsaw Saxophone Orchestra performing a medley of Beethoven themes.

Concert description

SOLD OUT

A ballad, told with words and sounds, will come together from the combination of vocal pieces and anecdotes from Ludwig Van Beethoven’s life. Each interesting fact from the composer’s biography – and there are a lot of them – will be illustrated with music both from Beethoven’s oeuvre and written by other composers. Il Canto, a vocal ensemble known for its precise and humorous performances, will paint a sound portrait of Beethoven – the creator of the Ode to Joy, a restless walker, coffee lover, weirdo, and beloved guest in Viennese drawing rooms. Entranced by the sounds of this colorful ballad we might let our minds wander and dream about Ludwig paying us a friendly visit one day…

Family concert 8+ years old

Programme

Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97 Archduke

I. Allegro moderato

II. Scherzo (Allegro)

III. Andante cantabile ma però con moto. Poco piu adagio

IV. Allegro moderato – Presto

Concert description

The Archduke Trio, Op. 97, is one of over a dozen compositions Beethoven dedicated to his friend, student, and patron, Archduke Rudolph of Austria. They include pieces such as the Missa Solemnis, the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, and the piano sonata, Op. 81a, Les Adieux, written in response to the Archduke’s departure from Vienna during the siege of the city by Napoleon’s forces in 1809. The premiere of the Trio was one of Beethoven’s final concert performances as a pianist. Structured in four movements, the trio’s grand concept makes it almost a symphony for violin, cello, and piano.

Programme

Beethoven at Night – jazz improvisations

Concert description

SOLD OUT

Paul Lay is one of the most successful French pianists of the younger generation. This year he won the “Victoire du Jazz” award for the best jazz instrumentalist in France. In the Beethoven at Night program, he explores the music and life of Ludwig van Beethoven, improvising on popular themes from the Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No. 7, and Ode to Joy as well as interweaving his own compositions. The program reflects the pianist’s fascination with the emotional and artistic life of Beethoven and the extraordinary creativity of the master from Bonn.