“Due to the uncontrollable flood of ideas, he wildly piles musical thoughts one on top of the other, and links them in a bizarre way. [...] There are too many sudden interludes and dissonant sounds.” This is how, at the turn of the 18th century, some Viennese critics reacted in puzzlement on first coming across the three piano sonatas of opus 10, of which this concert features the third, in E major. It is a fact that Beethoven had to struggle with considerable resistance: he became entangled in a back and forth with some of the critics but on the whole, he just let the works speak for themselves. However, the ‘Pathétique’ Sonata in C minor premiering in 1799 was greeted with prolonged applause by music-lovers of the imperial city right from the first performance: “The Viennese public can be happy in boasting so many brilliant artists. Beethoven is one of these. We can only hope that he will bestow on us the products of his genius and hard work on many more occasions.” The two sonatas are interpreted by János Palojtay. The international career of this youthful musician was sparked by taking third place at the 2012 Paloma O’Shea piano competition in Santander; András Schiff has been his patron, recognizing early on his particular gifts. In fact, Schiff selected him as one of the soloists for the Building Bridges European concert series in 2017/2018.