Fabio Luisi conducts Beethoven with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

Fabio Luisi conducts Beethoven's Eighth

With Fabio Luisi, the Concertgebouw Orchestra performs Beethoven's most cheerful symphony, the Eighth , preceded by two American works full of melancholy, solace, and atmospheric contemplation. Beethoven's Eighth Symphony has always remained in the shadow of its cheeky big sister, the Seventh . Unjustly so, according to conductor Fabio Luisi. The Eighth is Beethoven's wittiest symphony, with new jokes and novelties in every movement. For instance, in the second movement, the woodwinds imitate a metronome over which a melody sounds that could have come straight from a Rossini opera; together, this creates a comical effect.

James Ehnes plays Barber

In Copland's dreamy Quiet City, the trumpet and English horn steal the show. Samuel Barber's melodic Violin Concerto provides a platform for Canadian violinist James Ehnes. After the melancholic and deeply felt first two movements, the music finally erupts into a devilish final movement.