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With his third piano concerto, Beethoven truly found his own voice. His chaotic life almost sabotaged the premiere, but the music was more powerful than chaos. Enjoy this remarkable recording with Arturo Toscanini conducting and Myra Hess on piano.

While published second, this is the first mature piano concerto Beethoven wrote. It was also his first large-scale orchestral work. It’s a work full of youthful exuberance that also has the stamp of originality and genius. We’ll explore it through two performances with a common thread.

In the continuing series of music inspired by Shakespeare, enjoy colorful works inspired by Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra and more. It seems there is no end to the ways composers have been inspired by the Bard’s words to create marvelous music.

Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto has been called the “Cinderella” of the group. We’ll hear it in a virtuoso performance that’s as close as possible to one from Beethoven’s time. Brilliant playing and inspired improvisations are the “glass slipper” that fit perfectly.

Beethoven’s final piano concerto was the only one he never performed. His deafness robbed him of that experience, but what he imagined in his mind is truly glorious. Hear a fascinating, intensely personal interpretation by Glenn Gould that gives new perspective to this very familiar masterpiece.

There is a multitude of overtures out there, and we just don’t hear them often enough. Enjoy these gems of the repertoire - familiar and unfamiliar - in performances that set them apart.

In the final program of this profile, Kertész leads music of Vaughan Williams, Respighi, and Bartok. In music ranging from the sacred to the profane, he demonstrates uncanny ability to draw from each genre characteristic and compelling performances.

It may surprise you that 12-tone composer Arnold Schoenberg had a deep connection to and love of the music of Bach and Brahms. We’ll hear two of his transcriptions that transform the originals into glorious works for full orchestra.

Beethoven was a virtuoso pianist and there was no better way to showcase his gifts than in the piano concerti he composed. Hear selections from a new recording of the complete Beethoven piano concerti featuring the impeccable playing of Garrick Ohlsson, one of my favorite pianists.

This show highlights two works featuring the bandoneon, an essential instrument in Argentinian tango, and music inspired and performed by tango king Astor Piazzola. We also have a terrific guitar concerto performed by the great Andres Segovia.