Thu, 17. 4. 2025, 19.00 hrs

B6 BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR, MENDELSSOHN’S ITALIAN

Venue: Zlín Congress Centre  |  Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s.  | 

Leading Czech pianist Jan Bartoš and the Zlín Philharmonic’s chief conductor Robert Kružík share the stage for what is guaranteed to be an impressive artistic experience in a concert featuring works by two outstanding exponents of German Romanticism.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.5, the "Emperor", is among the composer’s greatest piano works. One of the best known concertos of its type, it was written in 1809 and dedicated to his friend and patron, Archduke Rudolf of Habsburg-Lorraine. In this work, noteworthy in terms of its grandeur, dramatic gestures and rich musicality, Beethoven sought to transcend the conventional boundaries of the piano concerto and present new ways for the piano solo part to be understood within an orchestral context. The work stands out for its monumental nature and the technical challenge it poses for the soloist, with its first movement impressive and majestic, the second lyrical and dreamy, and the finale culminating in a grand and triumphant conclusion. Incidentally, it is more than 20 years since this sparkling work was last performed in Zlín.

Mendelssohn's fourth symphony, the “Italian”, is one of the composer's most popular works and indeed one of the supreme works of the 19th-century symphonic repertoire. This display of creative mastery was completed in 1833 and inspired by the composer’s travels to Italy. In the piece, Mendelssohn sought to capture his impressions in a musical representation of the countryside, sunshine and merriment resulting in a composition imbued with the atmosphere of Italian landscape and culture, brimming with freshness, vitality and lyrical beauty.