Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 / Strauss: An Alpine Symphony [The Exclusive Subscription Concert Series – Yannick Nezet-Seguin]

Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s debut in the Vienna Philharmonic’s subscription concerts brings together Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, and Richard Strauss’s tone poem “Ein Heldenleben,” Op. 40. The soloist at the concert, recorded in March 2025 in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, is Yefim Bronfman. In Beethoven’s only piano concerto in a minor key, the solo part and the orchestra are closely intertwined; the energetic first movement is contrasted by the tranquil Largo. As an encore, Bronfman plays Claude Debussy’s “Poissons d’or” from the second book of “Images.” Strauss’s “Ein Heldenleben” then takes us through six interconnected sections, whose large orchestral forces offer room for both dramatic climaxes and chamber-music details. The Canadian conductor Nézet-Séguin has been working with the Vienna Philharmonic for many years. The recording is released on DVD and Blu-ray.