Face of Earth

It is always considered big news when a new Icelandic symphony is premiered. Landlit is Páll Ragnar Pálsson's first symphony, but the Iceland Symphony Orchestra has previously performed several of his works, most recently the bassoon concerto PLAY. Landlit draws inspiration from the eponymous painting by Valgerður Briem, Páll's paternal grandmother, which is a large series of paintings that reflect the texture of Iceland's vegetation and rock formations in an ambiguous way.

Dutch pianist Nikola Meeuwsen performs Piano Concerto No. 2 by Franz Liszt with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Nikola received the Concertgebouw Young Talent Award in 2019 and the prestigious Grachtenfestival Award in 2022, which is awarded annually to young, outstanding musicians. Nikola Meeuwsen's career took off last year when he emerged victorious in the renowned piano competition named after Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Piano Concerto No. 2 by Franz Liszt holds a rather special place in the composer's body of work: it is written as a single, continuous movement divided into six smaller sections and stands as a brilliant testament to the virtuosity of the piano master Franz Liszt.

The ballet The Miraculous Mandarin was premiered in Germany in 1926 and caused a great scandal due to its immoral content and was subsequently banned. The reception was more positive in Prague a year later, but the story of the three robbers who use a young girl to lure their victims was a constant source of trouble and censorship. It was not until Bartók wrote the concert suite heard here that the music began to resonate more widely, and this diverse, dynamic music became a favourite of concertgoers around the world.

*Denis Kozhukhin, who was originally scheduled to appear as soloist in Symphony No. 4 by Karol Szymanowski, has unfortunately had to cancel. In his place, pianist Nikola Meeuwsen will perform Piano Concerto No. 2 by Franz Liszt.