Yuja Wang plays Brahms

Under the direction of Paavo Järvi, the Concertgebouworkest is performing two undisputed masterpieces from the nineteenth century. Alongside Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ Symphony, the programme features Brahms’s First Piano Concerto with the dazzling soloist Yuja Wang.

Fireworks

When Yuja Wang plays Brahms, you can expect fireworks. Over the past ten years, the Chinese pianist has captivated the world with her stunning performances. She is regarded as an all-rounder who shrinks from no composition and is always convincing. That’s why it will certainly be interesting to hear her interpretation of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, a work full of dark drama, notorious for its powerful orchestra-like piano part. The Concertgebouworkest is sure to have met its match!

Culmination

Paavo Järvi has made several impressive guest appearances with the Concertgebouworkest. He now shines his light on Schumann’s Third Symphony (‘Rhenish’), the culmination of Schumann’s efforts to prove himself as an orchestral composer following the successes he had had with lieder and piano music. Inspired by the beautiful landscape of the Rhineland, he wanted this symphony to sound like folk music. But the work also sometimes has a solemn, spiritual intensity, the result of the deep impression that the then newly built Cologne Cathedral made on him.