Annapolis Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Valerie Coleman                   Seven O’Clock Shout

Ludwig van Beethoven          Concerto for Piano No. 5 in E-flat major, op. 73 “Emperor” 

~ Jon Nakamatsu, piano

Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga       Overture to Los Esclavos Felices

Dmitri Shostakovich              Symphony No. 1 in F minor, op. 10

Inspired by the evening serenades amidst pandemic isolation, Seven O’Clock Shout reminds us of the sacrifices of heroes. Celebrated pianist Jon Nakamatsu is featured in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. Though it is a concerto, its scope is symphonic; a novel innovation for the time and remains the best known and most frequently performed of Beethoven’s five piano concertos. Arriaga’s opera tells the story of plucky Spanish nobles captured as slaves in Africa who find their way to freedom. 18-year-old Shostakovich burst onto the international music scene with his first Symphony, written to fulfill his graduation requirements from the Leningrad Conservatory. We can recognize the unmistakable personal voice that would become his signature.