Beethoven made three versions of his only opera, Fidelio, the original title of the work bearing the name of its heroine, Leonore, in 1805, 1806 and 1814. The so-called Leonore Overture No. 3 was composed for the 1806 version of the opera. In the orchestral piece, there are forceful implications to the political message of the musical stage drama: the moment of liberation from dark oppression. The vision of the road from darkness to light also appears in Piano Concerto No. 4 (in G major), composed at almost the same time as the overture. The slow statement of the work was often interpreted by the audience of the 19th century already as the dialogue of Orpheus with the shadows of the underworld, in which the god with the lyre begged for the return of Eurydice, stolen by death. Symphony No. 2 was first performed at an unusually long composer’s recital of Beethoven’s in 1803. Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 3 (in C minor) and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives were performed at the same concert. The international career of pianist Péter Frankl began in the early1960’s. He has worked with conductors like Abbado, Boulez, Chailly, Maazel and Masur and with chamber music partners like András Schiff and Takács String Quartet. János Kovács, first conductor of the Hungarian State Opera, is an excellent interpreter of the classical and romantic symphonical styles.

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