Chamber Symphony: Spano conducts Beethoven's "Emperor" by Sibelius, Beethoven, Ġim 14 Lul 2023, Minn (2023/2023), Surmast Direttur Robert Spano, Benedict Music Tent, Aspen, United States

The New York Times praised him as “an imaginative interpreter with a powerful technique” and the Los Angeles Times called him “one of the more elegant and accomplished pianists on the planet.” Jorge Federico Orsorio will bring his superb musicianship and deep passion to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, one of the most beloved works of the genre. Full of both nobility and lyricism, the “Emperor” concerto was named by Beethoven’s English publisher. While the moniker certainly captures the music’s majesty and power, it’s hardly one the composer would have chosen, given his disgust with Napoleon, whom he called “a rascal like all the others.” Sibelius once wrote, “Music is, for me, like a beautiful mosaic which God has put together. He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate the picture from the pieces.” Thrill to one of the most astonishing of these “recreations,” the Symphony No. 7. There’s only one 22-minute movement here, but it contains all the drama of longer works. The journey is landmarked by a recurring solo trombone theme, and the landscape is varied, evoking the deep forests, verdant valleys, and snowy peaks of the composer’s native Finland. The finale has been described as a “blaze of sound,” or perhaps a “fierce sunset.” Opening the program is Sibelius’s tone poem, The Bard, which the composer called "something like an ancient Scandinavian ballad from the time of the Vikings.” Hear one of Beethoven’s most inspired creations and explore the Finnish soundscape in this exciting program conducted by AMFS Music Director Robert Spano!