Beethoven returned to the genre of piano sonata in 1814 after a gap of several years with the E minor sonata comprising just two movements. ‘A Contest between Head and Heart’, and ‘Conversation with the Beloved’ – according to the dubious claims of Anton Schindler, the master’s last secretary and one of his first biographers, who was caught out several times in inventing music history stories, these would have been the movement titles of the sonata, referring to the then love affair of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom the work was dedicated.
Liszt Prize holder Gábor Csalog performs at the last concert because as is common knowledge, the artist has shown not only exemplary commitment in playing contemporary music but he is at the same time an authority on interpreting Beethoven. “Probably the best I’ve written.” – Beethoven sent to his publisher in 1825 the 6 bagatelles dedicated to his brother. Although the author originally intended the collection to be played as a coherent cycle, the short character pieces are also suitable to be performed individually, so that this time we will hear three of them. The concert as well as the whole day will be closed by a late piano sonata. The unusual titles and performance instructions in the score of the work in A flat major, known for its dense, contrapuntal texture, prompted several analysts to discover a narrative behind the musical notes. Liszt Prize holder Gábor Csalog performs at the last concert because as is common knowledge, the artist has shown not only exemplary commitment in playing contemporary music but he is at the same time an authority on interpreting Beethoven.