Beethoven and Brahms at APAC

Beethoven, Violin Concerto, guest violinist Filip Pogády
Brahms, Symphony No. 4

With nine symphonies, five piano concertos, 32 piano sonatas, and countless chamber works, it may be surprising that Beethoven composed only one concerto for violin, and what a spectacular concerto it is! Classicfm.com describes Beethoven’s Violin Concerto as having “a zesty, spirited finale making dazzling use of the instrument’s melodic range.” Praised by the press for the “beauty of his tone”, “lightning-like virtuosity” (Russkoe Slovo) and his “commanding performances”(The New York Times), Slovakian-born violin virtuoso Filip Pogády takes center stage with the MVSO for Beethoven’s vibrant Violin Concerto.

After intermission, the MVSO delivers Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, the last of the great composer’s symphonies. Brahms wrote this masterpiece in the late 1800s in a quiet town in the heart of the Alps. He packed his symphony with warmth and beauty, with his tangled thread of melancholy running throughout, leaving audiences overflowing with emotion, which explains why this symphony continues to hold court as a standard in the classical repertoire.