Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, pays tribute to love, loyalty, and the desire for liberty. In his quest for perfection, the composer wrote a total of four overtures for the work, which premiered in November 1805 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Leonore Overture No. 3 is the most compelling and dramatic of the four, and also the most popular. The further two pieces on the programme are innovations in their respective genres. With his Violin Concerto in D major (1806), Beethoven broke with the concerto ideal that placed virtuosity at the forefront. Instead, the composer created an expansive opus defined most strikingly by its spirituality, poetic nature and richness of thought. Symphony No. 6 (1808) is a similarly groundbreaking work: its five movements tell us of the relationships between man and nature and the delights of rural life. It is worth not only paying attention to the folk-influenced sound, but also the powerful descriptive spirit of the music, as a range of illustrative sounds depicts everything from birdsong to babbling brooks and storms. By inserting a textual explanation at the start of each movement, with the Pastoral Symphony, Beethoven created one of the most significant forerunners of the programme music that would develop in the mid-19th century. Ádám Banda (b. 1986) is one of the most outstanding talents of the middle generation of Hungarian violinists, and achieved success in numerous international competitions at the start of his career. He is an illustrious soloist and chamber musician. The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded 101 years ago and is currently led by chief music director György Vashegyi, will be conducted by Charles Olivieri-Munroe (b. 1961), who is equally at home with musical theatre productions and in the world of symphony music. Critics have praised the charismatic power of Olivieri-Munroe’s performance style and his commitment to the clarity of symphonic sound.
