Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

BENNETTGORDONHALL 1:30 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 , 2026 MISHA DICHTER , piano 50TH SEASON AT RAVINIA BEETHOVEN Polonaise in C major, op. BRAHMS Piano Sonata No. in F minor, op. Allegro maestoso Andante espressivo Scherzo: Allegro energico Intermezzo (Rückblick) [ attacca ] Finale: Allegro moderato ma rubato – – CHOPIN Four Mazurkas A minor, op. , no. C major, op. , no. C-sharp minor, op. , no. D major, op. , no. CHOPIN Polonaise in F-sharp minor, op. PROKOFIEV Piano Sonata No. in B- at major, op. Allegro inquieto Andante caloroso Precipitato Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Spotlight Sponsor Lynne & David B. Weinberg . LUDWIGVANBEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Polonaise in C major, op. A business decision prompted the creation of Beethoven’s singular Polish-styled keyboard works. Tsar Alexander I and Empress Elisabeth Alexiewna of Russia visited Vienna in , two of the many dignitaries attending the Congress of Vienna. Beethoven had never been granted an audience before the Russian imperial couple, though years earlier he had dedicated the three op. violin sonatas to the tsar, who failed to acknowledge this musical tribute. Two of Beethoven’s patrons and friends—Count Andreas Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna, and Archduke Rudolph—arranged for a private appearance before the empress. An- other acquaintance, Dr. Andreas Bertolini, rec- ommended that Beethoven compose and dedi- cate a fashionable polonaise to her, in the hope that receiving a gi from the empress also might prompt an overdue payment from the tsar. Beethoven initially sco ed at the scheme but quickly realized its potential. He immedi- ately sat at the piano and improvised several Ludwig van Beethoven by Blasius Hofel (1814) Tsar Alexander I and Empress Elisabeth Alexiewna of Russia (ca. 1807) RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 3 – AUGUST 16 , 2026 84