The story of the life of Coriolanus, a military commander who lived in the 5th century BC, has inspired such artists as the world's greatest dramatist, William Shakespeare. Beethoven, however drew from another now-forgotten work for the stage: the tragedy by Heinrich Joseph von Collin. Both the text of the piece and the music of the Coriolan Overture depict the internal monologue of the doomed leader. The Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, performed with Krisztián Kocsis as soloist as the second piece in the concert, begins with the piano playing, breaking with the model of previous concertos, like a forerunner of orchestral development. Its melodic and thematic construction is complex, and the influence of the two major piano sonatas composed at that time - the Waldstein and the Appassionata - can be felt. Perhaps the most personal of Beethoven's piano concertos, it elastically depicts his inner struggles. This concert of the Szent István Philharmonic will conclude with the master's Fourth Symphony, which is an exciting blend of the fresh, virtuosic world of Haydn's classical symphonies and the forward-looking Romantic style. The mood of the themes of the piece evoke the Second Symphony most of all.

Presented by: Szent István Philharmonic