At 23, under the spell of Clara and Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms began his first piano concerto. He wrestled with it, considered making it a symphony, but then decided on an instrumental concerto that broke conventions – which promptly failed at its Leipzig premiere in 1859. The time for this work, however, was to come. At the premiere of the second piano concerto in Budapest, the composer himself played the solo part - and it was a huge success right from the start.

In our Great Hall, you will hear Elisabeth Leonskaja perform the First Piano Concerto on the first evening and the Second Piano Concerto on the second evening, each combined with Robert Schumann's Fourth Symphony, as part of her homage. If you can't or don’t want to decide which of the two you would rather hear, why not visit the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Michael Sanderling and the soloist on both evenings!