Pastoral Symphony

This concert is part of the Ertegun Series and is sponsored by The Ioana Maria Banu Ertegun Trust.

Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus Overture, Op. 43 side-by-side*
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68  

Marcello Palazzo conductor*
Marios Papadopoulos conductor/piano

To mark the beginning of a weekend Symposium on the works of Beethoven, Marios Papadopoulos combines the composer’s most conciliatory piano concerto with his most idyllic symphony. In his Piano Concerto No. 4, Beethoven reimagined the relationship between soloist and orchestra – not with shock and awe, but with gentle conversation and poetic reflection. After Marios plays and directs the concerto from the piano, we hear the symphony in which Beethoven turns away from the great issues of mankind and instead takes his listeners for a restorative walk in the countryside. Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ is both a symphony and a story, and a nature-inspired masterpiece that cannot help but uplift.

Pre-concert talk by Nicholas Mathew at 18:30
Other Beethovens
Nicholas Mathew talks about the intimate, less heroic side of the composer that is often overlooked in the popular imagination.

For Your Diary
5-7 February 2027
Beethoven Symposium
This concert will mark the beginning of the symposium weekend which will feature performances from the London Haydn Quartet, the Rautio Trio and the Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic.

The Sheldonian Theatre is a unique space to experience live music. To see an interactive map of the theatre click here.