BEETHOVEN SHOWCASE
BE spellbound by the splendour of classical music when the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra performs gems composed by classical music maestro Beethoven today and tomorrow at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur.
The concerts will be conducted by Gabor Takacs-Nagy, considered one of today’s most authentic exponents of Hungarian music. Themed Beethoven3, the showcases will open with one of his least known works, Overture To King Stephen, a stirring work with vigorous rhythms.
The MPO will also present one of the greatest violin works ever written, Violin Concerto In D Major. This work is Beethoven’s only contribution to the repertory of violin concertos, a landmark with symphonic thought and expansiveness that eclipsed its predecessors.
For the performance of this concerto, the MPO will collaborate with violinist Ray Chen, one of the most compelling young artistes today. In 2012, he became the youngest soloist ever to perform in the televised Nobel Prize Concert for the Nobel Laureates and Swedish royal family.
He made debuts at the Carnegie Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and has performed with luminaries such as Daniele
Gatti and Christoph Eschenbach. Followed by over two million people on SoundCloud, Chen expands the classical music audience by increasing its appeal to the young generation via social media platforms.
The concerts will close with one of the world’s favourite symphonies titled Symphony No. 6 In F Major, also nicknamed Pastoral. This work combines artistic integrity, inspiration from nature and incomparable technical achievement. dchua@nst.com.my