Seth Schultheis at the Bergson: Beethoven's Symphonies Arranged by Liszt
They are probably the most difficult pieces one can play on the piano: Ludwig van Beethoven’s nine symphonies, arranged by Franz Liszt. Only a brilliant pianist—one of the greatest virtuosos of all time, like Franz Liszt—could dare to transcribe such monumental symphonic works for the piano. For what would otherwise be played by 60 or 70 musicians must here be accomplished by ten fingers. And Liszt, who knew no technical limits, let his creativity run wild. The enormous demands of these arrangements are the main reason why one virtually never gets to experience the entire cycle of all nine symphonies. To mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death, the Bergson Kunstkraftwerk is presenting this rarity. It will be performed by the finest young pianists of our time: Steinway Prize winners, most of whom have already performed at the Bergson and are now returning.
Seth Schultheis won several prizes at the 2025 Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn. Now, with the Second Symphony, he presents a bright, joyful, and energetic work. This is surprising in that Beethoven composed it at a time when he was writing the Heiligenstadt Testament, was in a very gloomy mood, and was likely even contemplating suicide. This Second Symphony draws its power less from orchestral force than from incredible agility. Liszt had to make countless voices audible simultaneously while still preserving the springy, almost chamber-music-like character.
The situation is similar with the Fourth Symphony. Here, too, following a mysterious, dark, tentative beginning, the result is an ethereal, playful work. Which does not mean that it is not technically extremely demanding.
Despite all the difficulties, Liszt never sought to show off or create a spectacle. His goal was for the audience to forget they were hearing just a piano and instead let the orchestra take shape in their minds. And so, in this cycle, you always have, in a sense, two concerts in one: you hear Beethoven—and at the same time, you experience Liszt as a brilliant interpreter who transforms a single piano into an imaginary orchestra. It is precisely this that continues to make these works so fascinating to this day.
Additional dates:
April 25, 2027: Illia Ovcharenko performs Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8
June 6, 2027: Su Yeon Kim and Jae-Yeon Won perform Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7
July 18, 2027: Su Yeon Kim and Jae-Yeon Won perform Symphony No. 9
Cast
Seth Schultheis, piano
Doors open at 3:30 pm
Start: 4:00 pm
End: 5:15 pm
Fair-Price Ticket: 44€
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Social-Price Ticket: 28€
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Support-Price Ticket: 56€
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Ticket for all five events: 175€