History is replete with turning points, and with the "Eroica" (Heroic), Beethoven forever changed the idea of what a symphony could be. Beethoven’s passion rises to the forefront in this work, using broad strokes of sound to convey the very nature of humanity while reimagining a future for music filled with endless possibilities. With his deft mastery of late-Classical music, Markus Stenz is a perfect fit to lead a piece which advances the symphonic genre into a full exploration of what it means to be human.
But be sure to get to your seat early, or risk missing the elegant compositional voice of Louise Farrenc, Beethoven’s preeminent female contemporary, who was a tenacious advocate for women’s equality, often clashing with the authorities as she strove to earn pay equal to male counterparts. As a counterweight to these 1800s treasures, virtuoso James Ehnes showcases his talents in Korngold’s Violin Concerto, the late work of a prodigy whose music is usually heard on the silver screen, not in the concert hall. With its extraordinary sophistication and romantic energy so revered in Korngold’s film scores including “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “The Sea Hawk”, the Violin Concerto calls on its soloist to display both extreme virtuosity and angelic lyricism in a cinematic adventure that transcends his Hollywood success and completes this picture-perfect program.
