Carnegie Hall

Daniil Trifonov, Piano
Kremerata Baltica

The Guardian has cited Daniil Trifonov’s virtuosity, calling it “elegant and purposeful, [with] every trick deployed to summon new colors, rather than as an end itself.” Trifonov and the Kremerata Baltica showcase Chopin’s complete music for piano and orchestra in this concert. From the sheer brio of the Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart's Don Giovanni—which inspired Schumann to comment, “Hats off, gentlemen! A genius!”—to the poetry of the Piano Concerto No. 1, Chopin’s mastery has no better advocate than Trifonov.

Daniil Trifonov, Piano
Gautier Capuçon, Cello
Kremerata Baltica

The legato lines, delicate ornamentations, and colors that grace Chopin’s solo piano works are also found in his music for other instruments. There is not a single composition by him that does not involve the keyboard, including a small handful of works that prominently feature the cello. The Introduction and Polonaise brillante and Cello Sonata in G Minor are two of these rarities. While the former is a sparkling showpiece, the latter is an intense, highly emotive work. One of his early compositions, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is also noteworthy for its Romantic middle movement and rollicking finale: a zesty Polish mazurka.

Evgeny Kissin, Piano
Emerson String Quartet

Pianist Evgeny Kissin makes a rare foray into chamber music when he partners with the Emerson String Quartet. The serious tone, flashes of drama, and technically challenging roles Mozart assigns to each player makes his Piano Quartet in G Minor—the first notable work for this combination of instruments—a groundbreaking composition. Fauré's quartet is high spirited with an abundance of lyricism, passion, and an especially robust role for the pianist. Striking melodies, vigorous rhythms, great depth of feeling, and hints of Czech folk music are the Dvořák trademarks present in his large-scaled quintet.

Neighborhood Concert: JACK Quartet

Widely known as “superheroes of the new music world” (The Boston Globe), the JACK Quartet returns to the Neighborhood Concert series. With its “impeccable musicianship” and “take-no-prisoners sense of commitment” (The Washington Post), the ensemble has embarked on thrilling exploratory collaborations with such composers as Steve Reich and John Luther Adams. Among its many prizes are New Music USA’s prestigious Trailblazer Award and the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. The JACK Quartet regularly performs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and other noteworthy venues.

Mahan Esfahani, Harpsichord

One of the most gifted harpsichordists of our time explores two centuries of music from Italy, France, Germany, and Bohemia in his Carnegie Hall debut. Frescobaldi’s wild flights of invention made him one of the most celebrated Italian composers of the 17th century and influenced composers across the continent. A century later, the refined beauty of Rameau’s keyboard music represented the pinnacle of the French tradition. Bach drew from all traditions—the Italian and early French styles—to create the finest keyboard music of the Baroque.

Laureates of the Sphinx Competition

The Detroit-based Sphinx Organization is dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Featuring three of the nation’s leading black and Latino artists—who are also recent winners of the Sphinx Competition—this program includes dynamic solo and chamber works.

Daniil Trifonov, Piano

Post- and neo-Romanticism, serialism, and minimalism are but a few musical styles that flourished in the 20th century and paved the way for the sounds of today. Daniil Trifonov, in what promises to be one of the most eclectic and exciting recitals of the season, performs a seminal work from each decade of the 20th century. Berg’s restless harmonies, Messiaen’s kaleidoscopic colors, Adams’s undulating rhythmic pulse, and more are explored by the fascinating and virtuosic young pianist.

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Paris audience attending the 1923 premiere of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 were expecting a work driven by the same furious energy as his ballet scores. Instead, they were surprised by a beautiful concerto with a lyrical quality and a particularly rhapsodic opening solo. The 1805 audience at the first public performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 was stunned when they were presented with this truly revolutionary work. They encountered the most powerful symphony ever written. Beethoven’s mighty “Eroica” changed the face of symphonic music and heralded the age of Romanticism.