Vivien Walser – Piano
Resident Soloists
Program
Mozart: Overturefrom “Don Giovanni”
Beethoven: Piano ConcertoNo. 4 in G Major
Beethoven:Symphony No. 5, “Fate” – Allegro con brio
Dvořák: “Fromthe New World” – Suite
That evening, Vivien Walser performed as soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, one of the most poetic and heartfelt works in his oeuvre. Instead of a loud orchestral opening, the concerto begins with a quiet, almost intimate gesture: the piano alone begins with gentle, lyrical chords, as if the music were emerging from a quiet thought. Only then does the orchestra respond—a surprising shift in perspective that redefines the relationship between soloist and ensemble. At the premiere, Beethoven himself sat at the piano, even though his hearing had already begun to decline significantly; it would be his last appearance as a soloist with an orchestra.
The performance took place in one of Europe's most beautiful and significant Rococo theaters, where Mozart's *Idomeneo* premiered, and where Napoleon attended a performance of *Don Giovanni* as a guest in 1806, on the occasion of Bavaria's elevation to a kingdom.