Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’

About the Event

Young Austrian star pianist Lukas Sternath makes his debut in the Great Hall with Beethoven's impressive Fifth Piano Concerto, also known as the “Emperor's Concerto. After intermission, the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal led by principal conductor Patrick Hahn will play Tchaikovsky's wistful Sixth Symphony, the last completed work by the much‐discussed Russian composer.

Lukas Sternath shines in Beethoven's Emperor's Concerto
Multiple award‐winner Lukas Sternath sang for years with the famous Vienna Boys' Choir, but the Viennese musician eventually opted for a career as a pianist. After his debut in the Small Hall in the Rising Stars series, his first in the Great Hall now follows. On the lecterns is Beethoven's imposing Fifth Piano Concerto. The nickname “Emperor's Concerto,” referring to Napoleon, is not Beethoven's own, but fits well with the concerto's grand design and heroic character. Compelling music with a beautifully meditative middle movement.

Tchaikovsky's famous 'Pathétique'
Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, nicknamed “Pathétique,” has a poignant and ominous final movement that sounds like a farewell greeting to the world. But suppose Tchaikovsky had not died suddenly, nine days after the premiere, would we listen to this music differently? In any case, he himself was very pleased with the result of what would ultimately be his last composition: 'In this symphony I have without exaggeration put my whole soul… I consider it the best, but above all the most sincere of all my works'. Led by the promising young principal conductor Patrick Hahn, the Wuppertal Sinfonieorchester opens the program with the orchestral version of Lili Boulanger's D'un matin de printemps.