‘Belgian National Orchestra, Hermus & Noack’

The Belgian pianist Florian Noack enjoys bringing lesser-known works to audiences and has been widely acclaimed for doing so. In this concert, he performs the First Piano Concerto by Russian composer Nikolai Medtner, a contemporary and friend of Rachmaninov. Tchaikovsky wrote his Fifth Symphony in 1888, at the height of his artistic powers. One theme – a kind of 'idée fixe' reminiscent of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique – appears in all four movements. Many interpret this theme as fate, but “whereas fate knocks at the door in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony”, one reviewer remarked shortly after the premiere “fate tries to escape in Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony”.