Rafael Payare Conductor
Javier Perianes Piano
López Bellido Ephemerae, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (U.S. premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra co-commission)
Mahler Symphony No. 1
Mahler once wrote: “A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything,” and his First Symphony meets that ideal. Inspired by a 900-page novel chronicling the transformation of a passionate youth into a noble prince, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 is an epic musical journey, overflowing with images of nature, bursting with every emotion, and ending in triumph.
This classic is a mighty finale to a program that includes the U.S. premiere of a piano concerto by Peruvian composer Jimmy López Bellido, described by the Chicago Sun-Times as “one of the most interesting young composers anywhere today.” Performing the premiere is Spanish pianist Javier Perianes, “a player of great elegance and understated flamboyance … with exquisite grace and a wonderful lightness of touch” (The Guardian).