Concert celebrates Beethoven’s genius

One of the finest interpreters of Beethoven’s music, French pianist François-Frédéric Guy will perform three of the composer’s finest sonatas at NUIG’s Aula Maxima next Friday, February 20, at 8pm.

This is the Emily Anderson Annual Memorial Concert, which is presented jointly by NUI Galway and Music for Galway to honour the memory of this remarkable Galway scholar (1891-1962).

As the daughter of the then President of the University, Anderson grew up inside the walls where many of the Music for Galway concerts are held. She is remembered today for collecting, translating and editing the full correspondence of both Mozart and Beethoven, giving English speakers invaluable insight into the minds of these composers.

Friday’s programme is made up of three sonatas, which comprise Beethoven’s Op. 31. They demonstrate how Beethoven tried to break away from classical conventions and establish his own voice. The first sonata is playful, the second is tempestuous and the third is pastoral.

They will be performed by François-Frédéric Guy, who has played with orchestras such as the Berlin Symphony, London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and San Francisco Symphony. He has also completed a major Beethoven project that involved recording and performing all 32 Beethoven sonatas and the five piano concertos.

Next Friday’s concert starts at 8pm. Tickets €18/ MFG Friends and concessions: €14/students €10.

Tickets from the tht.ie, the Town Hall box office or www.musicforgalway.ie .