• L. VAN BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
• L. VAN BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 (“Eroica”)

Kit Armstrong, piano

Le Concert Olympique conducted by Jan Caeyers

In the run-up to the celebratory Beethoven Year 2027, Jan Caeyers and Le Concert Olympique present Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto and Third Symphony (the “Eroica”).

In contrast to the first two symphonies, which were still composed very much in line with tradition, Beethoven displays his own heroic style for the first time in the Third Symphony, radically pushing the boundaries of the music of his time.

The Eroica is thus considered both Beethoven’s first major symphony and the first groundbreaking Romantic symphony. Moreover, the symphony contains an important message in which the heroic aspect takes on a universal humanistic significance.

The symphony concludes with a hymn to the beauty of creation, nature, and life. It expresses Beethoven’s recurring call to strive together for a better world—a call whose relevance today is greater than ever.

Prior to the concert, American star pianist Kit Armstrong, the regular partner of Le Concert Olympique in the major Beethoven27 project, will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (Op. 19), a piece brimming with youthful enthusiasm.

With this program, the Beethoven27 project heralds the special Beethoven Year and underscores the “Call for a Better World.”