Prom 59: Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra – Beethoven by Beethoven, -tól (2016/2016), Karmester Herbert Blomstedt, Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

Sir András Schiff is the soloist in Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto, which sits in between the composer’s Leonore Overture No. 2 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Herbert Blomstedt conducts. Tonight’s all-Beethoven Prom culminates in the composer’s most fascinating and bold symphony, a piece shaped by irresistible rhythmic drive, whether in the inevitable tread of its slow march or the propulsive energy of its outer movements. One of the world’s oldest orchestras, along with one of its closest collaborators, lights the fuse on Beethoven’s Seventh and his excitable Leonore Overture No. 2, while ‘pianist’s pianist’ Sir András Schiff performs the composer’s most commanding piano concerto.