11. Philharmonisches Konzert - Helden-Leben

In the organizer's words:

Hero's life

Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Roderick Cox Conductor
Boris Giltburg Piano

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major op. 73
Richard Strauss
"A hero's life" op. 40

Roderick Cox made his acclaimed debut with the Duisburg Philharmonic at the end of 2022, and the orchestra and conductor are now continuing their successful collaboration. For his return to the Ruhr region, the American conductor has put Richard Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben" on the program, a kind of sonorous self-portrait of the self-confident composer. In this symphonic poem, the hero falls in love, defies his critics and, after a successful battle, carries out his work of peace before withdrawing from the world. Strauss' "Heldenleben" is rich in sound and powerful in imagery, but has also earned him accusations of self-aggrandizement. Before the late Romantic composer, the program features another titan, Ludwig van Beethoven: his fifth and final piano concerto is in the "heroic" key of E flat major and leads the solo concerto into equally powerful symphonic directions. Right at the beginning, the piano and orchestra battle for the upper hand with brute chords, while the solo instrument is allowed to sing out soulfully with a beautiful melody in the second movement. It is in the very best hands with Boris Giltburg, who was Artist in Residence in Duisburg during the 2017/2018 season: The world-class pianist has not only already recorded all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas, but also his five piano concertos. A true Beethoven expert!