Llewellyn Hall, Australian National University
November 10, 2018

There seems little doubt that many of the string instruments used by Australian Chamber Orchestra players have been played in performances of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and his Symphony No 5 hundreds, if not thousands, of times since they were built. And it’s likely each time has seen a different interpretation. So, the title for this concert – Tognetti’s Beethoven – was apt, for Richard Tognetti very much made these two monumental pieces his own.

Although written at about the same time – in the first decade of the 19th century – the Concerto and the Fifth Symphony are opposites – almost diametrically. While the Concerto is a romantically lyrical piece, the Symphony, with those most famous four notes of all music, is muscularly revolutionary. Their only similarity, perhaps, might be that both are introduced with four notes, albeit at fff in the Symphony, and at p on timpani in the case of the Concerto.

Richard Tognetti. Photo © Nic Walker

It was the 26-year-old virtuoso violinist, Franz Clement, who commissioned Beethoven to write the Concerto (and he played its premiere). Apparently, he was something of a master...