Boris Giltburg, Brussels Philharmonic & Enrico Onofri

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 10 and Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 ('The Military') share the same key: a bright, grand, and martial G major. During his London years, Haydn reinvented the classical orchestral palette by adding exotic percussion, and the resulting rhythmic drive and march-like themes proved an absolute hit with the audience. Beethoven picked up on the trend, masterfully mimicking the signature percussion and brass of Haydn's military style on the piano through dry, staccato chords and abrupt accents. The restless and intensely dynamic contrasts of Kraus’s Olympie Overture make it the ideal partner for Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 7: tragic, with slow theatrical movements and those same sudden outbursts.