This evening features two “Fifth” works: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and his Fifth Piano Concerto. The perfect soloist lineup for the “Emperor Concerto,” as the piece is also known: the rising star pianist Lukas Sternath, who in 2022 not only won first prize in his category at the prestigious ARD Music Competition but also swept seven special prizes—a feat unique in the competition’s history.

Composed during the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s majestic Fifth Piano Concerto is characterized by the two poles of power and sensitivity, which Lukas Sternath skillfully combines. This work, marked by constant interplay, is juxtaposed with what is arguably Beethoven’s most famous composition: his Fifth Symphony. While it initially seems very static with its concise, pulsating motif, a dynamic force unfolds over the course of the work that defines the entire composition. Under the baton of Kerem Hasan, the Kammerakademie Potsdam takes its audience into the world of the great classical composer and presents the “Fate Symphony” as well as the Fifth Piano Concerto with interpretive depth.