The young chef-composer finds the form known as the “Rossini overture”, while Nicolas Altstaedt, an “individual category” in his field - as a writer for Hamburger Abendblatt refers to him - plays Haydn, and one of the stars of Western European classical music pays homage to Napoleon, then to an unsung hero. This focused yet diverse compilation is the program for the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s concert in Vincenza. The concert begins with the ever-moving overture to the musically incredibly prolific Rossini - full of fantasy and escalation. Haydn's cello concerto, considered to be lost for nearly 200 years, is composed for one of the outstanding virtuosos of the author’s time. The solemn exclamation point to close the evening is delivered by Beethoven’s monumental ‘Eroica’, a milestone in the history of music.

The father would marry off his daughter, but she loves someone else. The lovers plan an elopement, but the plan gets out thanks to a servant; this angers both the groom and the father. Complicities after misunderstandings, love triangles and, of course, a happy ending: in the end, everyone gets the one they love and they live happily ever after. A typical comic-opera plot, made all the more precious by Rossini's sparkling music. Although La scala di seta, written in 1812 is rarely staged, its overture is a popular concert piece. The slow introduction is followed by a brisk fast movement, and the magnificent orchestration is made all the more intense by a long crescendo. Complex form and exciting harmonies characterize the music - all disguised with elegant lightness.

The distinguished cellist of the Esterházy court orchestra, Joseph Weigl was not only a muse but also a good friend of Haydn. The composer also dedicated his first cello concerto to him. The work, written sometime between 1761 and 1765, evokes the world of the Baroque concertos rather than the classicals, but Haydn often transcends the ritornello form and monothematic movements. The tempo of the first movement is moderate, its melodies are catchy. At first, the cello strikes a chord and then introduces the themes in an increasingly ornate manner. The piece concludes with a virtuoso finale with a refrain structure after the sometimes darkening but essentially lyrical middle movement, which is accompanied only by strings.

The dedication to Napoléon and hidden programs invented by fanciful musicologists notwithstanding, what we know for sure is that Beethoven eventually dedicated his Third Symphony, “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man”, to one of his most generous patrons, Prince Lobkowitz. The dramatic opening movement is full of melodies, yet the mood of the music is solid. The slow mourning procession deepens the earlier pain, for which the unexpected scherzo provides a remedy. The symphony ends in a variational finale, the main subject of which has already been used by Beethoven several times. The movement includes a fugue, Hungarian motifs, and much more.