Heroic Symphony

Beethoven's boundary-defining portrait of the human spirit, Symphony No.3 - Eroica is often seen as the greatest symphony ever created, heralding the beginning of what would become known as the Romantic movement and changing Western classical music forever. This masterwork stars with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Han-Na Chang, preceded by principal cello Henry Shapard taking centre-stage for a rendition of Prokofiev's moving and inspiring Sinfonia Concertante. 

Eroica began life as a tribute to Napoleon, but when the revolutionary French leader turned tyrant, Beethoven scribbled out the name of his original dedicatee, instead focusing on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the human spirit. Its considerable length, technically demanding playing and uncompromising aesthetics, from the angular dissonances of the first movement to the expressive range and explosive climax of the fourth, forced early audiences to rethink what a symphony should be - i.e. not just a decorative form of entertainment, but an earth-shattering and challenging intellectual pursuit.