Good Friday 2026 is also the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, and this coincidence prompted András Keller and his orchestra, who are presenting the bicentennial concerts, to put together a programme that is sublimely in harmony with both aspects of this day.

There is no doubt that the second movement of the ‘Eroica’, that is, the Funeral March for the symphony’s hero, this time speaks for the composer himself – and this identification was most likely not entirely removed from Beethoven’s own view, either.

Following this C minor movement, we will hear another piece dominated by this key that was so important to Beethoven and played such a prominent role in his oeuvre: the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, with the great Dénes Várjon serving as the soloist.

When this work was first presented in 1803 with Beethoven at the keyboard, it was accompanied by the first performance of his composition of sacred music Christ on the Mount of Olives, which is very much in keeping with the Easter holiday season. Beethoven’s lone oratorio evokes a portrait of Christ rich in human features as he struggles in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper with the knowledge of the tortuous death that awaits him, and through it accepting his mission of salvation.