Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Daniil Trifonov Piano
Bates Piano Concerto (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra co-commission)
Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
Program Notes
The incomparable Daniil Trifonov takes the Verizon Hall stage for the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Piano Concerto. Plus, Rimsky-Korsakov's timeless Sheherazade.
The enchanting melodies woven through Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade transport audiences across the sea on Sinbad’s ship, through adventures of princes and princesses, and into the world of legendary storyteller Sheherazade herself.
Showcasing the brilliance of the Orchestra with soaring solos and four glorious movements, Rimsky-Korsakov’s timeless piece draws inspiration from The One Thousand and One Nights, more commonly known as The Arabian Nights.
Mason Bates on composing his piano concerto:
Daniil has an unmatched tone and lyricism. Grammy-winning releases such as Transcendental showcase the marvelous colors he coaxes from the instrument. Technical pyrotechnics are in copious supply as well, but Daniil always complements virtuosity with a deeply poignant sense of phrase. If you close your eyes, you wouldn’t think you were hearing such a young man.
I want to hear all those subtleties, and honestly new piano concerti offer precious little in the way of transparency. There’s no shortage of pieces with everyone playing all the time, the pianist hammering octaves over blizzards of orchestral figuration. I’ll have that too, but maybe not until the last movement.
source: masonbates.com