RACHMANINOFF'S 2ND PIANO CONCERTO HIGHLIGHTS BOSTON PHILHARMONIC CONCERTS IN NOVEMBERPosted: 2005-11-10 10:03:09 On November 17, 19, and 20 Benjamin Zander and the Boston Philharmonic will present the second of this seasons programs: Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto and the Fifth Symphony of Carl Nielsen.
The Philharmonic is particularly excited about presenting the Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero in her Boston debut. Ms. Montero has won an increasing reputation in South America and Europe as one of the most exciting and original pianists before the public today. The great pianist Martha Argerich, a formidable and harsh critic indeed, has praised Montero as the finest pianist of her generation. She combines an awesome piano technique with a mercurial temperament, huge personal charisma, and, most famously, an astonishing ability to improvise in virtually any style on themes given to her by the audience. Her encores at these concerts will be just such improvisations.
Over ten years ago the orchestra scored one of its great triumphs with a performance of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony. The orchestra is returning to Nielsen, this time with his greatest work, the Fifth. Zander has been quite candid in discussing Nielsen: he feels that not only does this composer lie a little outside the mainstream, but that he lies a little outside the circle of composers with whom he himself feels the greatest affinity. This slight dissonance of personality was one of the elements that led to the electrifying, totally unexpected interpretation of the Fourth Symphony that Boston heard back in 19..? The conjunction of Zander and Nielsen around the harrowing but ultimately uplifting psychological drama that constitutes the heart of the Fifth Symphony promises once again to elicit a performance of rare insight and energy.
The November 19 and 20 performances feature a pre-concert lecture by Benjamin Zander; on November 17, the lecture is incorporated into the performance. For more information on these concerts, please call the Boston Philharmonic at (617) 236-0999 or visit bostonphil.org.
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