Between Vienna and the New World

At first glance, Ludwig van Beethoven and Charles Ives have nearly nothing in common: the first is a First Viennese School composer who introduced romanticism in music while the second was an American who combined working in an insurance company with his compositions and experiments in tonality and rhythm. However, as it turns out, both creators had many things in common. Both were revolutionaries of their time periods and their music transcended their respective eras. Both created their own personal musical languages, which they used to express their strong creative personalities. For many years, the pieces of Ives were not performed live as they were considered too experimental, just like Beethoven’s late string quartets. Not everyone knows that Ives quoted Beethoven’s motifs in his own pieces, including the famous main motif of the Fifth Symphony, which he described as “the soul of humanity knocking at the door of divine mysteries”. This motif also appeared in his Symphony No. 2, which was a bridge between the “European” and “American” styles. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, which was maintained in the key of C minor that symbolized fight and tragedy, was created in a period in which the composer confronted his imminent disability – deafness. The solo part will be performed by the Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Czoni, the laureate of the third-place prize at the XVIth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022.

At 6:15 PM we invite you to the Henryk Czyż chamber hall for a pre-concert meeting led by Karol Furtak

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by Arthur Rubinstein and the Concertgebouw Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink:

Top photo: Dmytro Czoni, phot. Andrej Grilc