3000th Concert

On Sunday May 6, 2018 at 4:00 pm Sam Rotman performed his 3000th concert at the Piano Exhibition Hall in Vienna, Austria. It was almost 45 years to the day that Mr. Rotman was a Laureate Winner in the 4th International Beethoven Competition which was held in Vienna in May-June 1973.

For this special concert he decided to perform an All-Beethoven program. The program works that were performed all had a special significance to the city of Vienna. For example, he performed the Sonata No.26 known as the Les Adieux, Lebewohl, Farewell Sonata. It was an emotional piece concerning Beethoven friend and patron the Archduke Rudolf Rainer who departed Vienna on the occasion of the invasion of Napoleon into Austria. Also on the program was the very famous Pathetique Sonata that was written two years after the first sign of Beethoven’s deafness in which Beethoven began a dark time of suffering concerning his deafness. This entire progression of his deafness took place in Vienna. Also on the program was the famous Turkish March Variations. Beethoven would have heard this march performed by street musician in Vienna which later he used to compose these sets of variations.

Mr. Rotman and his wife Deborah arrive in Vienna on Friday May 4, 2018. The following day they visited the very special sights concerning the life of Beethoven including his famous Pasqualatihaus where he live from 1804-1815, the grave of Beethoven at the Central Cemetery of Vienna as well as the famous massive statue dedicated to Beethoven in central Vienna.

The following is a pictorial narrative of the Beethoven sights as well as his 3000th concert.

(Click Photos to Zoom)

The Beethoven Monument in Vienna

Sam at the same Beethoven Monument in 1973 when he was participating in the 4^th  International Beethoven Competition. Sometime after this photo the Monument was moved to the present location more in central Vienna.

Sam signing the Guest Book at the Museum

Sam at the Beethoven Grave also in 1973.

All the composers are buried in the same section. Here Sam is at the grave of Franz Schubert.

At the Memorial of Mozart. His exact gravesite is unknown.

3000th Concert Poster and Program Cover
Sam Rotman 
3000. concert (In German this means: Performing his 3000th concert)
Graduate of the Juilliard Music School 
Laureate Winner of the 4th International Beethoven Competition Vienna
Performances in 61 countries 
Presents compositions of Beethoven
May 6, 2018 16 hours 
Piano Exhibition Hall Atzgersdorf
Endresstrasse 18, 1230 Wien
www.eg-liesing.at

Following the concert

This young woman heard Sam play 19 years ago in Budapest, Hungary when she was 5 years old and decided that evening she wanted to become a concert pianist. She has received her Bachelor’s Degree and is  presently working toward her Master’s Degree as a concert pianist (both Degree’s) from the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna, the “Juilliard” of Austria, and was able to attend Sam’s concert. She is also a believer in Christ.