Saleem Ashkar—born in Nazareth, educated in Europe, and based in Berlin—takes audiences on an inspiring journey through Beethoven’s piano sonatas that follows the course of the composer’s creative life, combining some of his best-known works with less familiar pieces. The rarely heard Opus 7 opens a program that also includes the two shorter Opus 49 "sonatinas" and the ever-popular "Pathétique." The great "Les Adieux" sonata, which stands at the end of the composer’s middle period, serves as the finale. This concert is part of Saleem Ashkar’s Encounters with Beethoven cycle, presented by Konzerthaus Berlin, in which he performs all 32 of the composer’s piano sonatas at seven different venues in Berlin over the course of this season.