Maxim Lando

Maxim Lando is a pianist appearing as soloist with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, known as the "Emperor." Listeners will hear him tackle one of the most demanding and celebrated works in the concerto repertoire, paired on the program with Beethoven's First Symphony and a contemporary piece by Leo Brouwer.

In this concert, Lando takes on Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, a work that opens with the piano bursting in almost immediately, before the orchestra has settled, with cascading scales and firm chords. Listeners can expect a soloist who must balance power and clarity across the concerto's three movements: a bold, march-like opening, a slow central movement of hushed, hymn-like calm, and a finale that dances with rhythmic energy. The piece demands both stamina and control, since the piano rarely rests and often leads the orchestra rather than simply answering it. The rest of the program situates this concerto alongside Beethoven's compact, classically poised First Symphony and a shorter contemporary work by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, giving the evening a arc from the composer's early style toward his more expansive, heroic voice.