Completed at the end of 2016 and premiered by tonight’s soloist in the US in January, Sally Beamish’s potent and political new piece was written in response to Beethoven’s immaculate First Piano Concerto. You can trace connections between the works when pianist Jonathan Biss performs them both tonight. Brett Dean’s Testament also takes Beethoven as its inspiration, drawing on the composer’s desperate frustration with his growing deafness, while Elgar’s ever-cherished ‘Enigma’ Variations pays homage to his friends and family.
