All great conductors tend to infuse the repertoire's masterpieces with their own interpretative ideas. Giovanni Antonini's reading of the Beethoven Symphonies with the Kammerorchester Basel was undoubtedly pioneering in its historical and philological approach and its choice of tempi. Backed by the experiences made by Herreweghe with La Chapelle Royale, Zinman with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Harnoncourt with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Antonini's complete recording opted for allegiance to the tempi and the sound flow in all sections of the orchestra, which capture the beauty of the musical lines. Antonini's approach of Beethoven is a rediscovery, full of sunshine, songs and lyrical dramas. The crescendos might remind us of Rossini.
The attention to polyphony suggests Vivaldi. The mixture of colours is often breathtaking. Lugano is delighted to welcome once again Bertrand Chamayou, a brilliant French pianist from Toulouse who we already cheered here in 2016 with Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Known for his technique and his remarkable musical skills, Chamayou will perform Beethoven's most inventive piano concerto. This is the first of the composer's pieces for solo instrument and orchestra to bear unmistakable traces of Beethoven's genius by associating intimacy, energy, serenity and wit.