Beethoven’s “Eroica”

Esa-Pekka Salonen “wowed Philadelphia Orchestra audiences” (WRTI) in his recent appearances; this international star returns for a powerful program that affords endless opportunities for great performance.

Salonen leads a program of soaring classics, culminating in Beethoven’s mighty “Eroica” Symphony, initially conceived as an homage to Napoleon, whom Beethoven admired until his hero named himself emperor. Now the work is regarded as a tribute to Beethoven’s own heroism, as he struggled to reconcile his need to create with his failing health and growing deafness. One of the most influential works ever written, the “Eroica” signaled a sea change in symphonic writing, inspiring composers for centuries. For audiences, hearing this music is transformative, moving from grief to triumph, from war to serene peace, inviting you to lean in and listen to every note.

Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto challenges any who dare play it. As fiendishly difficult for the player as it is endlessly delightful for the listener, the work meets its match in Yefim Bronfman, whose “energy emanates from his fingers and swirls out of the piano with such perfection that every note grabs the ear” (The Washington Post).

As though the Liszt were not enough, this bravura program opens with Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, a jewel box of inspired musical exploration that races through genres and forms from prelude to waltz, chorale, and quasi jazz improvisation—a show piece for this brilliant pianist and The Philadelphia Orchestra’s legendary strings.