David Afkham & Seong-Jin Cho Make Their Debut
The Philadelphia Orchestra presents a trio of works by classical giants Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms, marking the debut of special guests David Afkham, German conductor extraordinaire, and South Korean piano virtuoso Seong-Jin Cho. The evening begins with Beethoven's 1807 Coriolan Overture, a composition written for the 1804 Coriolan tragic play that reflects the tumult of war and Coriolanus' invasion of Rome with richly dramatic sonata forms and satisfying symphonic movement.
Cho will then join proceedings for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, a shining example of just how prolific and prodigious the young composer's talents were becoming. In Mozart's able hands the simple concerto construct took on near magical qualities, and in this piece he broke new ground - when the soloist enters for the first time, he plays entirely different music to the orchestra. The evening comes to a close with the glorious polyphony of Brahms' Symphony No. 1, a towering masterwork that took the composer nearly 15 years to complete - some things are definitely worth the wait!
