Masterworks: Emperor

Sascha Goetzel, conductor | Behzod Abduraimov, piano
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor)
Prokofiev – Symphony No. 5
2 hours. Includes intermission.

Young Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov, whom The Independent calls “the most perfectly accomplished pianist of his generation,” makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in Beethoven’s epic “Emperor” Concerto. Conceived while Vienna was under siege, the “Emperor” embodies Beethoven’s triumphant heroic period. Prokofiev described his Fifth as a “symphony of the greatness of the human spirit, a song of praise of free and happy mankind.” Written while World War II raged, the technically demanding, mightily inspiring orchestral tour de force landed its composer on the November 1945 cover of Time Magazine.