Why settle for one soloist when you can have five?

Oh yes, that’s right. This week’s BSO concert features every soloist on earth.

I kid, I kid. But given that the program is “Beethoven’s Triple Concerto” (plus Schubert’s “Unfinished” and Strauss’ Duett-Concertino, and why the heck are there to t’s?), there are more than enough solo parts to go around. We have the ubiquitous Jonathan Carney on the violin, Amit Peled on the cello, Steven Barta on the clarinet, Phillip Kolker on the bassoon, and Jeffrey Sharkey on the piano (I am very jealous of his name).

The program notes tell me that Beethoven’s wrote the Triple Concerto for his best piano student.

Rudolf was a gifted pianist and musician who became Beethoven’s most devoted patron, only composition student and—within the limits of their different stations—close friend. He performed Beethoven’s piano trios, including his namesake, and purportedly dreamed of playing in a trio set within the grander context of the orchestra. In 1803–04, when work on his opera Fidelio was being delayed by problems at the Theater an der Wien, Beethoven took up Rudolf’s challenge.

Okay. If BEETHOVEN writes a piece of music just for you, you are Somebody. Heck, you’re Everybody. The human race has reach its culmination and it’s all downhill from there. We’ve been devolving for almost two centuries now.

It’s all right, though. It’s Beethoven, after all. He’ll make everything all better. You can apply some balm to your soul at the Meyerhoff on Friday, May 7 at 8 pm, Saturday, May 8 at 11 am, and Sunday, May 9 at 3 pm. It’s all you can do.