Beethoven's Bicentennial

Ludwig van Beethoven—where do we even begin? Arguably the greatest German composer in history aside from Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven's daring compositional approach didn't just set the music world on fire—it forever changed the course of music. In fact, Beethoven's impact on the instrumental forms of his day was so massive that many subsequent composers, most notably Johannes Brahms, suffered from "the Beethoven complex": the crippling pressure of having to live in Beethoven's shadow. Among Beethoven's giant catalogue of symphonies, piano music, and chamber music, his set of 32 piano sonatas stands out as one of the crowning achievements in music history. Join us as we celebrate the bicentennial of this great composer's death with concert pianist James Palmer's rendition of the 'Waldstein' sonata, among other selected works.

Program:

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53, 'Waldstein' (1804)

I. Allegro con brio

II. Introduzione: Adagio…