Carnegie Hall

Peter Whelan conducts pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen in a program centered on Bach’s Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053. One of Bach’s most elegant and spirited keyboard concertos, the work is notable for its lyrical central movement and the close interplay between soloist and ensemble. Whelan, Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra and incoming Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, brings deep experience in Baroque repertory, while Rushdie Momen offers a refined approach to Bach’s music. Likely adapted from an earlier composition, the concerto reflects Bach’s practice of reshaping existing material into works of striking freshness and balance.