Auftakt: Beethoven & Mendelssohn

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, “
” Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847), Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”

Amadeus Wiesensee, piano
Clayton Bowman, conductor

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 defies all the conventions of its time by beginning with the piano alone, softly and contemplatively, before unfolding into one of the most poetic works of its kind. On the day of its premiere in 1808—when Beethoven insisted on sitting at the piano himself—it was nearly overshadowed by the simultaneous premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, as well as the Choral Fantasy and the Mass in C major. Who can blame the audience? Especially after that famously freezing night at the Theater an der Wien, where the heating system failed on that very evening of all nights.

Perhaps it was the no less icy experience of Felix Mendelssohn’s own journey to the British Isles that prompted him to bring the forgotten concerto back to the stage in 1836. Already almost obsessively captivated by Beethoven’s late works at the time, he attempted to capture the impressions he had experienced there in musical notation with his Symphony No. 3, the “Scottish.” He wrote down its first measures in 1829 in the dim, ivy-covered ruins of Holyrood Chapel in Edinburgh. It would not be completed until thirteen years later. Between misty melancholy, rousing energy, and a triumphant final apotheosis, an imposing and significant soundscape emerges, centered on the memory of Mary, Queen of Scots and the unique natural backdrop of the Scottish island.

Mendelssohn himself recognized the musical connection between the two works and, just a few months before his untimely death—acting as both conductor and soloist—performed this very program before Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It is a tradition that the Camerata Orchestrale would like to carry on for you. We look forward to seeing you!