Rain date: 4 July

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, op. 21
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (“Eroica”), op. 55

Conductor: Róbert Farkas

Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

With his Symphony No.1, Beethoven was still following in the footsteps of his predecessors: the proportions of this work correspond to those of Hadyn’s late-career London Symphonies. This joyful, energetic and witty piece was composed across two centuries, the 18th and 19th, and was fittingly completed by the Bonn-born maestro in 1800. Symphony No.3 (“Eroica”), was composed in 1803/04 and first performed in 1805. This piece, however, was a huge leap towards a more Romantic approach and was characterised by a weightier symphonic sound, more theatrical gestures and the appearance of the authentic, Romantic-inspired hero-worship that was so integral to much of Beethoven’s work. Beethoven had originally planned to dedicate the piece to Napoleon, but when he found out that the First Consul had crowned himself emperor, he furiously ripped up the dedication, and the piece was instead given the title Sinfonia eroica.

Born in Ózd in Hungary, Róbert Farkas won 3rd prize at the 2011 Lovro von Matačić International Competition of Young Conductors. After graduating from the Liszt Academy in Budapest, he studied at the Universität der Künste in Berlin from 2006 to 2012. Since that time, all of his greatest achievements have been tied to Germany.