In case of rain the concert will be held on 21th July, Sunday

In 1810, Beethoven wrote nine pieces of incidental music for Goethe’s Egmont, before adding a heroic overture a few weeks later. The slow, mournful beginning is followed by an energetic, stubbornly advancing main theme. The overture preceded the overwhelming power of the Victory Symphony. Piano Concerto No. 3, the only concerto written by Beethoven in a minor key, was completed in 1800. In this piece, which will be interpreted by the superb young pianist Zoltán Fejérvári, the orchestra has an equal role to that of the solo instrument, presenting a significant challenge for the soloist. The dramatic tone of the first movement is followed by the confessional monologue of the second movement, Largo. The closing movement, Rondo, then showcases the countless different aspects of the same musical material. Symphony No. 8 was composed by Beethoven in the summer and autumn of 1812. The work is light, cheerful, full of humour and teeming with sparkling ideas. Though the acclaim for the premiere of Symphony No. 7 was far greater, Beethoven himself considered Symphony No. 8 to be the finer of the two. Schumann was one of the first people to recognise its brilliance: “In terms of the depth of its humour, no other symphony from Beethoven comes close… Upon hearing the Allegretto in B flat major, the listener is powerless to do anything but simply listen and wallow in happiness.”