Michael Francis conducts Beethovens final and most heroic piano concerto, filled with the grandeur befitting its nickname, Emperor. The incomparable beauty and sublime melodies shine in the hands of returning Beethoven expert Javier Perianes. In Strauss Ein Heldenleben (A Heros Life), the hero is Strauss himself. His life unfolds in sounds of courage, triumph and romance brought to life by a huge orchestra. Listen for homages to Strauss earlier works, including Also sprach Zarathustra, Till Eulenspiegel and Don Quixote.