Beethoven 1807

We write 1807: a year full of wars and violence in Europe. The map has never been so changeable. At the same time, during a musical salon in Vienna, three new compositions see the light of day. Before a small audience, Ludwig van Beethoven performs for the first time his fourth piano concerto, his fourth symphony and the Coriolanus Overture. In 2026, more than 200 years later, the works still sound as vibrant as they did then in Vienna. Just as imposing, moving and exciting as when it was first heard.

The dramatic overture and the light-footed symphony stand shoulder to shoulder alongside one of the most popular and well-known piano concertos. A review from the early nineteenth century called it "the most admirable, peculiarly artistic and complex concerto [...] that Beethoven ever produced."

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century is one of the world's leading specialized ensembles in the music of Beethoven, with roots dating back to its iconic performances with Frans Brüggen in the 1980s and 1990s. Now a new generation of top players from across Europe brings this repertoire to life, joined for this program by pianist Olga Pashchenko, rising star in the piano world. The orchestra is conducted from the first violin by concertmaster Alexander Janiczek.

"The expressive power that Janiczek exuded in his violin playing gave enormous élan to the ensemble playing. The ferocity with which the bows were deposited on the strings and the sharply profiled rhythm gave.....the heroic and, above all, revolutionary feeling that Beethoven put into his notes. I don't recall the orchestra in past performances penetrating so deeply into Beethoven's emotionality."

The New Muse, Beethoven Festival 2023.