BSO: Lyricism and Drama

On the completion of his mature Second Piano Concerto, Brahms announced his “ever so tiny piano concerto with an ever so tiny and dainty scherzo.” The music told another story however – Brahms had created arguably the most monumental piano concerto of the 19th century. In four movements rather than the usual three, and the final andante almost a concerto in itself, it is a formidable work. In a melange of foxtrots and waltzes, sometimes flirtatiously raunchy, sometimes delicate and mysterious, Adès elegantly combines his own personal style and clever instrumentation with characteristic features from cabaret, tango, and popular music. The suite, using music from his opera on the scandal surrounding Sixties socialite, Margaret Campbell, is rich, playful, dramatic, and expressive. Schumann poetically captured Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony’s relationship to its neighbours when he called it “a slender Grecian maiden between two Nordic giants”. It is certainly lighter in tone, but it is far from lightweight. In terms of economy and tightly coiled energy, it is every bit the equal of its counterparts.

Please note this concert is being livestreamed and some shots will include wide angle views of the audience. You can buy a Digital Concert Ticket here.

Mark Wigglesworth – Conductor

Sunwook Kim – Piano

Works and Composers:

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2

Adès: Three-piece Suite from Powder Her Face

Beethoven: Symphony No.4