Jonathan Nott conductor
Khatia Buniatishvili piano

Piotr Ilyitch Tchaïkovski
Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1 in B-flat minor, op. 23
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, ‘Eroica’, op. 55

The evening concert presents two epic works sadly misunderstood at their premieres. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B minor was rejected by its dedicatee, who considered it fit for the rubbish, but it quickly became a mainstay of the concert & competition repertoire around the world. A glamorous and captivating piano personality, Khatia Buniatishvili will undoubtedly give a much-needed personal touch to this famous work.

We know the anecdote: disappointed by Bonaparte who became Napoleon I, Beethoven tore up the dedication in his honour. From then on, his Eroica Symphony celebrated the greatness of a hypothetical great man while opening the great double doors to Romanticism in music. But how hard it is to be understood as a pioneer! The work was initially deemed to be dull, endless and disjointed...