Opera Tickets Italy

This season, the esteemed conductor Pietari Inkinen takes to the stage of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence for a performance of two much-loved works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonín Dvořák. Acclaimed as one of the leading maestros of his generation, Inkinen takes charge of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra, with the highly respected Japanese pianist Mao Fujita joining the orchestra as the featured soloist for Beethoven’s celebrated Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, otherwise known as 'Emperor'. The programme concludes with a rendition of Dvořák's much-lauded Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70.

Beethoven wrote his 'Emperor' concerto for piano and orchestra over the course of 1808 and 1809, near to the height of Napoleonic military power in Europe. It was premiered on 28 November 1811 at the Gewandhaus, the leading concert hall in Leipzig of its day. Although the nickname 'Emperor' for the concerto came long after Beethoven’s death, it is often regarded as appropriate given the music's heroic and somewhat military characteristics. The assertive qualities demanded of the soloist, apparent right from the start, also lend themselves to the concerto's nickname. The second movement, an Adagio in B major, is more reflective. It conveys a sense of meditative tranquillity with muted strings. Beethoven's Fifth Concerto has remained a key part of the repertoire ever since it was first performed.

Commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 received its world premiere on 22 April 1885. The debut took place at St James's Hall in the British capital with the composer conducting. Following its first performance, Dvořák made some revisions which made it into the original published score, then known as Symphony No. 2, since it was only the second symphony the Czech composer had had published by then. Comprising four movements, the symphony combines dramatic intensity with lyrical passages and rhythms inspired by traditional Czech folk dances, culminating in a powerful finale that has been interpreted as an expression of Czech national pride.

Pietari Inkinen is a Finnish conductor who has earned international recognition for conducting major orchestras throughout Europe, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. Born in Tokyo, Mao Fujita won the prestigious Concours International de Piano Clara Haskil in 2017 in Switzerland. In 2019, he was also awarded the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Under the baton of Inkinen and with Fujita at the piano, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra delivers a concert focused on two major works of the nineteenth century of the orchestral repertoire.