Beethoven 2 & Pablo Ferrández plays Schumann

Spanish star cellist Pablo Ferrández returns to Bozar! Together with the Belgian National Orchestra conducted by Matthew Halls, he performs Schumann's Cello Concerto. This highly romantic composition avoids excessive virtuosity and fully commits to warm lyricism. Robert Schumann nurtured a special affinity for the cello and began playing the instrument himself after a righthand injury forced him to give up the piano.

“I will seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not wholly overcome me!” Even as Beethoven grapples with the realization of his deafness, the composer feels his mental and physical strength returning to him in 1801. His Second Symphony, written during this period, is therefore surprisingly optimistic. The bold, inspired and adventurous character of this four-movement work already foreshadows the heroic style that will fully emerge shortly thereafter in his famous Eroica symphony. However, not everyone shared this view at the time. After the premiere of Beethoven's Second Symphony, the Viennese magazine Zeitung für die elegante Welt claimed that it could be compared to a wounded dragon refusing to die. The final movement was said to evoke the cries of a dying dragon, twisted in agony and bleeding out.