Robert Spano will not be able to conduct this weekend's concerts due to a case of bronchitis. After stepping in beautifully last weekend for Maestro Spano, Assistant Conductor Stephen Mulligan will conduct this weekend to allow Robert to rest and recover.



The piano as we know it was invented around 1700 by an Italian named Bartolomeo Cristofori. It would be decades before it really caught on. Of the great composers, the first to cut his teeth on the modern instrument was the child prodigy Beethoven. Unlike the harpsichord, the piano can be lyrical, dramatic, loud and soft; it demanded a new, more expressive kind of music. As a powerful young pianist who was out to impress, Beethoven also demanded a new kind of music. Thus, he produced the Second and Third Piano Concertos.



Performance Reviews From Last Week:



» Bachtrack: Mulligan leads a stellar Beethoven “Emperor" Concerto



» MyAJC: ASO excels with Kurth, Bernstein and Beethoven



» ArtsATL: ASO gives a joyful take on Michael Kurth's lovely "Everything Lasts Forever"

Program Notes Ken Meltzer's Inside The Music