Konstantin plays Beethoven (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra)
A fine performance of Beethoven’s Emperor piano concerto headlines a rich and varied ASO concert full of emotional contrasts.
Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed on 15 October, 2020
by Chris Reid on 18 October, 2020
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has continued its thoughtful and very welcome return from lockdown with another memorable contribution to this year’s celebration of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. The ASO had been planning to perform all nine Beethoven symphonies this year and, in March, we saw an excellent presentation and analysis of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, but then the music stopped. In this unfortunately truncated season, the ASO now seems to be focussing on pivotal Beethoven works, and has engaged outstanding Adelaide-based soloists in two of the great concerti – Natsuko Yoshimoto in the Violin Concerto in September, and here, Konstantin Shamray in the Emperorpiano concerto. Featuring a concerto rather than a symphony as a concert main event is perhaps unusual, but these Beethoven concerti are significant historically and symphonic in scale, and such an arrangement allows a variety of other music to be presented. This is a welcome approach to concert programming.