ONE of the towering masterpieces of musical Romanticism, Beethoven s Emperor Concerto, is being performed by the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra next Saturday, January 30. It opens with grandiose flourishes for solo piano and heralds a new kind of virtuosity wh

ONE of the towering masterpieces of musical Romanticism, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, is being performed by the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra next Saturday, January 30.

It opens with grandiose flourishes for solo piano and heralds a new kind of virtuosity where piano and orchestra vie for musical power.

The concerto makes monumental demands on piano and pianist, requiring great lyricism as well as dramatic colour.

As on many previous occasions, Amadeus is featuring a young soloist, the pianist Christopher White, who studied with Hamish Milne at the Royal Academy of Music.

A musician of many talents, he is director of the Little Opera Company, has worked as assistant conductor under Sir Charles Mackerras and been elected Piano Fellow at Tanglewood, Massachusetts, where he worked with James Levine.

As a foil to the Beethoven concerto, the concert at 7.30pm in St Peter's Church, St Albans, will open with Rossini's sparkling overture to Italian Girl in Algiers.

The Italian theme will re-emerge for the second half of the concert which features Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, one of the composer's best-loved examples of Romantic tone-painting.

Tickets for the concert are �12 with students, seniors and unemployed �9 and accompanied schoolchildren �3, available at the door or in advance from St Albans Tourist Information Centre on 01727 864511.