MICHAEL LAUS Conductor CHARLIE SIEM Violin KORMALTA Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113 The MPO joins the international celebrations marking Beethoven’s 250th birthday anniversary with a concert at Malta’s national theatre. Imbued with patriotic flair, The Ruins of Athens, are a set of incidental music pieces composed to accompany Kotzebue’s play which commemorated a new imperial theatre built in Pest. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, although written over a short period of time, eventually established itself in the core solo repertoire. Its renowned spirited finale exploits the melodic traits of the instrument in a virtuosic fashion.