Beethoven's Emperor

Touring to Wollongong, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Purchase as part of a Flexi-subscription to save 20%. Single tickets from $59.

How do you find your way into the masterpieces of old? In this program, you’ll travel through the forebears and heirs, and the influencers and influenced, so that you can stand alongside the lucky few who had their hair blown back by the magic of Beethoven’s Emperor the very first time it was played.

Pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout returns to the ACO to direct this celebratory concert from the fortepiano, with Beethoven’s most beloved work at its heart. A longtime friend of the ACO, Bezuidenhout has a special affinity for historical instruments. He relishes the challenge of their foibles and fickleness, coaxing out a sound the composer would have recognised. For a modern audience, it’s an enlightening experience. Beethoven untamed.

Joining the ACO are wind and brass players from the world’s leading period-instrument orchestras, handpicked by Bezuidenhout to recreate Beethoven’s soundworld.

This is a joyful celebration of a great composer and the people he inspired. Hear music from Mozart – whom Beethoven revered; Schubert – the grieved admirer who carried his coffin; and, bringing Beethoven’s legacy into the 21st century, Britta Byström – who composed her way through the silence of lockdown in a beautiful response to Beethoven.

Choose this program because you love Beethoven, but don’t be surprised to find yourself hearing his music as though for the first time.

Reviews

★★★★★ “captivating” – Limelight

★★★★★ “A masterful evening of historically informed music played with astonishing contemporary panache.” – ArtsHub

★★★★ “A performance of Beethoven’s Emperor concerto that displayed immense mastery, delicacy and near-flawless technique.” – The Age

★★★★ “A superbly curated program culminating in one of the most sublime achievements of the human imagination – Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto – brought the composer’s sound world to glorious life.” – The Age

“Kristian Bezuidenhout and the Australian Chamber Orchestra evoked the sound and soul of Beethoven.” – The West Australian

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Dates & Availability

CITY RECITAL HALL
TUE 19 MAR, 8:00PM - sold out
WED 20 MAR, 7:00PM - sold out
FRI 22 MAR, 7:00PM - good availability
SAT 23 MAR, 7:00PM - selling fast

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
SUN 24 MAR, 2:00PM - good availabilty

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Program

FERDINAND RIES Symphony No.2 in C minor, Op.80: I. Allegro ma non troppo
FRANZ SCHUBERT Impromptu in B-flat major
FRANZ SCHUBERT Rosamunde: Entr’acte No.3
BRITTA BYSTRÖM A Walk to Beethoven’s First Symphony (Australian Premiere)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (arr. Franz Liszt) Symphony No.1 (excerpt)
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No.20: III. Allegro assai (Cadenza by Beethoven)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor”