Kristian Bezuidenhout Joins Boston's Handel and Haydn Society For Season Finale

Handel and Haydn Society Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen leads the H+H Orchestra in a showstopping season finale pairing works from the back catalogs of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven at Symphony Hall on May 2 + 4. The concerts begin with selected movements from Mozart's only theatre score, Thamos, King of Egypt, followed by Haydn's Symphony No. 82, nicknamed The Bear for its playful, romping final movement. Renowned fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout joins H+H to perform the final work of the program, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, an imaginative musical dialogue between solo piano and orchestra. Bezuidenhout will also accompany as Cohen conducts the H+H Youth Choruses Chorus of Sopranos + Altos and Chorus of Tenors + Basses in a special performance of Franz Schubert's “An die Sonne” to open both concerts. Tickets are available for purchase by calling 617.262.1815 or visiting handelandhaydn.org.

On view at Symphony Hall during the concerts will be the Project Beethoven Collection, a juried exhibition of artworks created by illustration majors at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) inspired by Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. In its 13th year, this H+H and MassArt collaboration challenges students to create a work of art in response to a selected piece of early music. In addition to listening to the music, the aspiring artists met with H+H's Christopher Hogwood Historically Informed Performance Fellow, Teresa Neff to learn about the historical context in which Beethoven composed his 4th piano concerto before creating their visual responses. Students were also introduced to the period instruments that Beethoven knew and composed for, and which H+H musicians play as a historically informed orchestra. The art is for sale, with all proceeds going to each student artist. To view the Project Beethoven Collection in advance of the concerts, please visit handelandhaydn.org/projectbeethoven.

“Our season finale promises an evening of musical surprises and meaningful connections with H+H,” said H+H Acting CEO Lilee Dethchan-Beltran. “We're thrilled to welcome celebrated keyboardist Kristian Bezuidenhout back to the H+H stage, as well as our talented middle and high school aged Youth Choruses singers. Adding a unique visual dimension, MassArt student artists will present their creative interpretations of Beethoven's piano concerto, offering audiences a fresh and inspiring perspective.”