Beethoven & Schumann

In times of change, traditions are a hold, a beacon of recognition, connection, and group identity. At the same time, they can lead to stagnation and exclusion. Not so with the grandmasters in this program. They respect those customs and enter into a dialogue with them. At the start of the international Beethoven year, the bridge builder between classical and romantic cannot be missing. Beethoven’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 4’ is a groundbreaking work that begins with a subdued piano solo, a rarity at that time. Inspired by the Rhineland and German romanticism, Schumann embraces the classical symphonic model with his ‘Rhenish Symphony’. And he breaks it open from within: simultaneously monumental, personal, warm, and innovative. Past and imagination reinforce each other.