Night of Brahms in Honor of Beethoven

World renowned conductor John Axelrod is back again with the Belgrade Philharmonic for a concert at Kolarac Hall on Friday, January 24, at 8:00 p.m. The program includes works by Johannes Brahms, with pianist Benedetto Lupo performing with the Belgrade Phil for the first time.

Concerts from the #beethoventheinfluencer series celebrate the music of the famous composer through his followers. Brahms was genuinely fascinated by Beethoven’s music, but at the same time it put a lot of pressure on him. Because of this, he often said that he constantly heard Beethoven’s footsteps behind him.

The premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1 caused a major scandal and public outrage, but now it has become one of the most dearly loved works of classical music. The Belgrade audience will hear it played by Benedetto Lupo, a pianist with a rich biography, who has been a regular guest at major concert venues around the world, including the Lincoln Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Salle Pleyel in Paris. His mentor during his early studies was famed Italian composer, pianist, conductor, and academic Nino Rota.

Maestro John Axelrod, a charismatic conductor who has been building up his profile as one of the greatest conductors today, is distinguished by his innovative programs and diverse repertoires, as evidenced by the piece that rounds off the concert, Piano Quartet No. 1 by Johannes Brahms, but in a different vein – orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg, who was also inspired by Beethoven and indirectly by Brahms. It gave the original an exhilarating quality, adding unusual “interventions” and some hints of jazz.

One hundred standing tickets will be on sale at the Kolarac Box Office from 7:00 p.m., one hour before the concert.