Conductor Giordano Bellincampi
Piano Javier Perianes

Schubert Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’
R. Schumann Manfred overture
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4
 

In one way, of course, it is a musical tragedy that Schubert never finished his Eighth Symphony. In another way, though, the body of work we have is oddly perfect, and it is no surprise that it is the best-loved of Schubert’s symphonies.

Spanish pianist Javier Perianes returns to the APO for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4. It begins quietly, with the piano ruminating alone, then opens out into one of his most elegant and poetic works.

Schumann passed a sleepless night after reading Byron’s dramatic poem Manfred, his imagination fired. The overture encapsulates the struggle and defiance of its tortured anti-hero.