Mein Beethoven – Leben mit dem Meister: the pianist Rudolf Buchbinder chose the title My Beethoven – Life with the Master for his book on the founder of the so-called First Viennese School. The Philharmonie’s audience has an opportunity to establish a similarly close relationship with Beethoven this season, for there are no less than a dozen concerts exploring the oeuvre of this musical genius who has also come to be considered the epitome of a true European.
The centrepiece of this large-scale journey are the performances by the Luxembourg Philharmonic with Rudolf Buchbinder himself on Feb. 22 and 23, 2024, during which all Beethoven’s five piano concerti will be heard. The Austrian pianist may look back on a career spanning decades, but Beethoven’s output is as mesmerizing to him as it was the day he first discovered it. «Exploring Beethoven’s piano works presents new challenges all the time. When I prepare for my performances or study the scores, I keep finding new and surprising things. Even some pieces I’ve played hundreds of times still seem entirely fresh to me» -thus Buchbinder, whose Beethoven «score-card» is filled with one impressive success after another. He has played cycles of the 32 Beethoven sonatas more than 60 times in public; at Vienna’s Musikverein, he played all five piano concerti in one season during the year of Beethoven’s 250th birthday – a first for that venerable institution. «Life with the master», will not, however, be lived in Luxembourg by Rudolf Buchbinder alone. Other performers, equally inspired by Beethoven, will also contribute to this homage. The Berlin Philharmonic opens the season and the Beethoven focus on Sept. 3, 2023 with the cheerful Eighth Symphony, before Hélène Grimaud offers her perspective on the Piano Concerto No. 4 in the spring of 2024. In Early January 2024, the Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida adds her interpretation of Beethoven’s three last piano sonatas to the mix.
The master may have departed our world physically – but his spirit obviously has many lives yet to live…
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko
direction
Luxembourg Philharmonic
accentus
Laurence Equilbey
direction
Amina Edris
soprano
Agata Schmidt
alto
Mitsuko Uchida piano
Between 1820 and 1822, Ludwig van Beethoven crowned his output of piano sonatas, which he had begun composing in 1795, with three final contributions. The catalogue of 32 sonatas was acclaimed by Hans von Bülow as «the New Testament of piano literature». First and foremost among its exegetes is the Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida, winner of the Beethoven Prize in 1969 and one of the pre-eminent experts on Beethoven’s oeuvre in the world. Due to her many years of association with the city of Vienna, she is also able to offer an outstanding stylistic contextualization of Beethoven’s music.
Brentano Quartet
Mark Steinberg, Serena Canin
violon
Misha Amory
alto
Nina Maria Lee
violoncelle
The spellbinding Brentano Quartet celebrates great string quartets old and new in an imaginative recital. Beethoven’s opus 130 is one of the most ambitious and inventive works in the medium, and contains one of his loveliest slow movements. The programme also features Haydn’s melodious and playful «Bird» Quartet, and two poignant elegies by contemporary Scottish composer James MacMillan.
Amatis Trio
Lea Hausmann
Violine
Samuel Shepherd
Violoncello
Mengjie Han
Klavier
Claus-Christian Schuster
Kommentar
Discover one of Beethoven’s most lovable and subtle chamber works. The Piano Trio N° 2 is brought to you by the up-and-coming Amatis Trio from Amsterdam, who was part of the «Rising stars» programme. The ingenious second movement – a set of variations on two themes – and the exhilarating finale are especial highlights. This short concert is part of our moderated concert series «Encounters with Beethoven».
Luxembourg Philharmonic
Rudolf Buchbinder
direction, piano
To this day, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concertos are considered a special challenge for pianists, not only in terms of technique, but also interpretation. Rudolf Buchbinder accepts the challenge, not only by playing these works, but leading the Luxembourg Philharmonic from the keyboard at the same time – on two evenings dedicated exclusively to the five Piano Concertos. A fascinating journey into the history of the genre, which will also be the subject of a lecture by Stefan Keym in German at the Salle de Musique de Chambre on 22.02. at 18:45.
Luxembourg Philharmonic
Rudolf Buchbinder
direction, piano
To this day, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concertos are considered a special challenge for pianists, not only in terms of technique, but also interpretation. Rudolf Buchbinder accepts the challenge, not only by playing these works, but leading the Luxembourg Philharmonic from the keyboard at the same time – on two evenings dedicated exclusively to the five Piano Concertos. A fascinating journey into the history of the genre, which will also be the subject of a lecture by Stefan Keym in German at the Salle de Musique de Chambre on 22.02. at 18:45.
Minetti Quartett
Maria Ehmer, Anna Knopp
Violine
Milan Milojicic
Viola
Leonhard Roczek
Violoncello
Claus-Christian Schuster
Kommentar
In this concert – part of the series «Encounters with Beethoven» – the Quartet tackles Beethoven’s transcendent opus 127. This groundbreaking work is the first of the extraordinary «late quartets» written by the composer in his final years, and is a riveting experience from its imperious opening to its radiant finale.
Kreisler Quartet
Haoxing Liang, Silja Geirhardsdóttir
violon
Maya Tal
alto
Niall Brown
violoncelle
This is certainly the case with Beethoven’s transcendental String Quartet op. 127, the first of the visionary ’late quartets’ that he wrote during his final years. It is paired here with Mendelssohn’s lovely Four Pieces op. 81, comprising works from across his career. After the concert, audience members will have the chance to meet the Kreisler Quartet – all members of the Luxembourg Philharmonic – over a drink.
Organised by d'Frënn vun de Lëtzebuerger Philharmoniker
The concert will be recorded and broadcast on radio 100,7 on July 7, 2024.
Camerata Salzburg
Hélène Grimaud
piano
Beethoven’s lyrical yet exuberant Piano Concerto N° 4 – one of the greatest works of his middle period – is performed alongside his stormy Coriolan Overture and Mendelssohn’s playful Symphony N° 1, written when the composer was just 15. With artist in residence Hélène Grimaud performing alongside Camerata Salzburg, this will be an event to remember!
Evgeny Kissin piano
performed by master of the keyboard Evgeny Kissin. Beethoven’s lyrical Piano Sonata op. 90 and Prokofiev’s daring Second Piano Sonata frame two exquisite sets of shorter pieces: Brahms’s poetic Ballades op. 10 and Rachmaninoff’s alternately contemplative and virtuoso Moments musicaux.