Tel: 01234 269519The Central Box Office
Philharmonia Orchestra
Date: Tuesday 24th May
Venue: Main Auditorium - 7.00pm
Bedford Borough Council & BCEX presents
Philharmonia Orchestra
Krzysztof Urbański conductor
Hiromi Okada piano
MENDELSSOHN Overture, Hebrides
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto opens with three sweeping cadenzas for the soloist against expansive orchestral chords; these are soon followed by the driving rhythms and virtuosic passagework that characterise this work. The beautiful slow movement is among the most touching and apparently effortless movements of any of his concertos, and at the end the gentle rising arpeggios give way suddenly to the unbridled vitality of the finale. Beethoven’s power of invention continues into the second half of the programme with one of his most light-hearted symphonies, full of structural surprises and musical jokes; Krzysztof Urbański, winner of the Prague Spring International Conducting Competition, is sure to bring his youthful dynamicism to bear on this performance. Share on Facebook