InClassica: Piano Concerto

4 Feb 2024 | 20:00 | Dubai Opera, UAE

Beethoven Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in G minor, Op. 67

Frank Braley piano
Sergey Smbatyan conductor

On Sunday 4 February, the 2024 InClassica International Music Festival, organised by SAMIT Event Group, returns to Dubai Opera with a concert featuring French pianist Frank Braley, recipient of the Diapason d’Or and First Prize winner of the 1991 Queen Elisabeth Competition. He will be accompanied by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Armenian conductor Sergey Smbatyan, as they present a programme of works dedicated to the legendary German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The first piece of the evening will be the Coriolan Overture, which was written for Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s 1804 tragedy of the same name and freely takes inspiration from Collin’s play, musically contrasting Coriolanus’ war-like resolve with his later decision to show mercy to his people and call off his attack on Rome. Next comes the Piano Concerto No. 4, which was first premiered in March 1807 to significant acclaim. Somewhat forgotten throughout the years, the work was rediscovered by Felix Mendelssohn in 1836 and since then has gone on to become a favourite among audiences, widely seen as one of the pinnacles of the piano concerto repertoire. Finally, Smbatyan and the orchestra will turn to the iconic Symphony No. 5, a rousing masterpiece that needs no introduction, having transcended the realm of classical music to become one of the most easily-identifiable works of art in the world, universally regarded as one of the most defining examples of Western Classical music.