PIANO CONCERTO No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23

(Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1840 – 1893)

A legendary stroke of genius that never fails to thrill! The monumental power of the opening alone is enough to send shivers down the spine, while its wealth of sparkling melodies leaves no one untouched. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, composed in 1874, is rightly regarded as one of the great pinnacles of classical music and a particular highlight of today’s concert programme. Its 1875 premiere in Boston marked the beginning of a triumphal journey around the world, and it remains one of the most popular piano concertos ever written.

SYMPHONY NO. 9 “FROM THE NEW WORLD”

(Antonín Dvořák: 1841 – 1904)

Magnificent soundscapes filled with longing, hope and freedom: composed in New York in 1893, the work bears the unmistakable imprint of Dvořák’s several years in America. He combined his impressions of the New World with echoes of his Bohemian homeland to create a compelling symphonic masterpiece that brings the concert evening to an impressive close. The premiere at Carnegie Hall was greeted with ovations, and Symphony No. 9 remains one of the world’s most frequently performed orchestral works.