Symphony of Joy

Franciszek Lessel is one of the most enigmatic Polish composers. An extraordinarily talented pianist and an up-and-coming composer, he suddenly gave up his musical career to pursue an entirely different line of work unrelated to music. He composed six symphonies, but only a fragment of one – the Finale molto presto – has survived to our time. Yet even this fragment astonishes with its energy and the ease of its musical narrative. After all, Lessel was a student of none other than Haydn.


Anyway, we will remain within the circle of Viennese classics. We will also hear Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Piano Concerto in F major, KV 459." This sparkling, colourful piece is a true gem of classical music, delighting with its intimate dialogue between the piano and orchestra. The work quickly gained popularity to such an extent that the composer himself performed it at the coronation of Leopold II.

Fragment of Mozart's Piano Concerto in F major KV 459 performed by Hélène Grimaud and the Chamber Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio conducted by Radosław Szulc:

Twenty-four years later, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 had its premiere. It never enjoyed the same fame as the composer's previous Symphony No. 7. Intrigued by this, one of Beethoven's students asked the master about it. His response was simple: Because the eighth is much better than the seventh. While in Symphony No. 7, Beethoven focused on rhythm as a musical element, in Symphony No. 8, he draws heavily on past models (particularly the music of the 18th century), as if trying to tell us that one does not need to be a revolutionary or a pioneer of musical innovations to express oneself through music.

A fragment of Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen conducted by Paavo Järvi: