Oct. 17-20: Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Presents Mozart, Brahms, Bartók Feat. Pianist Alessandro Deljavan in his Boston Debut

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katy Salomon | Morahan Arts and Media
katy@morahanartsandmedia.com | 863.660.2214

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Presents
Mozart, Brahms, Bartók on October 17, 19 & 20

Featuring Italian Pianist Alessandro Deljavan’s Boston Debut in Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2

“jaw dropping virtuosity and heart-stopping eloquence.” – Dallas Morning News

Watch Deljavan Perform: https://vimeo.com/127752045

www.bostonphil.org 
 

Boston, MA (September 4, 2019) – The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 41st season led by Maestro Benjamin Zander with Mozart, Brahms, Bartók onThursday, October 17, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University; Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. in Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory; and Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. in Sanders Theatre. The program features award-winning Italian pianist Alessandro Deljavan in his Boston debut performing Brahms’s epic Piano Concerto No. 2, paired with Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. 

Benjamin Zander describes pianist Alessandro Deljavan as “electrifying and maverick in his approach.” Of a recent performance, Theater Jones wrote, “[Alessandro is] revelatory in every respect. Everyone in the hall knew that they were hearing something special—something wonderful—from the very first notes. At the end, the spontaneous eruption of cheers was so different from the perfunctory ovation that any decent performance is awarded, that being a part of the thrilled crowd was a unique experience in itself."

One of the most often performed and engaging operas, Mozart’s The Magic Flute premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791 at Schikaneder's theatre, two months before Mozart's death. The overture will be performed by the Boston Philharmonic for the first time. Brahms’ demanding Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb Major, Op. 83, was a popular piece from its inception. The premiere took place in Budapest on November 9, 1881 with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the composer as soloist. Bartók’s virtuosic Concerto for Orchestra premiered on December 1, 1944 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky.

The Thursday evening concert at Sanders Theatre is part of the orchestra’s Discovery Series. Mr. Zander speaks from the stage prior to each piece, introducing and explaining each of the works that will be performed, often with musical examples played by the orchestra. The Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon concerts are preceded by Mr. Zander’s Guide to the Music, an hour and fifteen minutes prior to concert start time. These talks offer an in-depth preview of the music on each program, which allows audience members to gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the pieces.

Program Information
Mozart/Brahms/Bartók

Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
Discovery Series discussion of music takes place prior to performance of each piece.
Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
Guide to the Music pre-concert talk takes place beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Sanders Theatre at Harvard University | 45 Quincy Street | Boston, MA 02138

Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Guide to the Music pre-concert talk takes place beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory | 30 Gainsborough Street | Boston, MA 02115

Program:
Mozart: Overture to The Magic Flute
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
      Alessandro Deljavan, piano
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

Ticket Information
Tickets are available by visiting www.bostonphil.org or by calling 617-236-0999.

About Alessandro Deljavan
Born of an Italian mother and Persian father, Alessandro Deljavan began learning to play piano before the age of two and gave his first performances at age three. He has since performed around the world. Alessandro Deljavan graduated from the Conservatorio Statale di Musica Giuseppe Verdi (Milano, 2003) and the Istituto Gaetano Braga (Teramo, 2006). From 2005 – 2013 he was among the select young artists attending the International Piano Academy at Lake Como, Italy under the tutelage of the Academy’s artistic director, William Grant Naboré. He has a discography of over 40 albums and has appeared in films such as Franz Liszt: The Pilgrimage Years(RAI – Italian TV), ‘Virtuosity’ (Cliburn / PBS), and numerous live broadcasts on European radio. Alessandro Deljavan has won top prizes in competitions including Concours musical de France (1st Prize, Paris, 1996), Hummel Competition (2nd Prize, Bratislava, 2005), Gina Bachauer Young Artist Competition (5th Prize, 2005), Cliburn Competition (John Giordano Discretionary Award, 2009), Isangyun Competition (2nd Prize, Tongyeong, South Korea, 2010), and Cliburn Competition (Raymond E. Buck Discretionary Award, 2013). He is currently professor of piano at the U. Giordano Conservatory of Music, Foggia, Italy. 

About the Boston Philharmonic
The Boston Philharmonic, founded by Benjamin Zander in 1979, is comprised of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), and its robust series of Crescendo Education and Community Engagement programs. The mission of the Boston Philharmonic is to share the vibrancy of classical music with new and existing audiences, aspiring to expand the limits of possibility to reinvigorate the classical music experience for audiences and players alike.

As one of Boston's premier orchestras and under the leadership of Maestro Zander, the BPO features student, professional, and amateur musicians who perform inspiring renditions of celebrated masterworks in Boston’s most storied concert halls. The BPYO offers year-long orchestral and leadership training at the highest level for talented musicians between the ages of 12 and 21, completely tuition-free. The Crescendo Education and Community Engagement programs provide high quality music education for children who would otherwise not have access, often serving the most disadvantaged, at-risk, and under-resourced children in the city.

About Benjamin Zander
For the past 50 years, Benjamin Zander has occupied a unique place as a master teacher, deeply insightful and probing interpreter, and as a profound source of inspiration for audiences, students, professional musicians, corporate leaders, politicians and more. He has persistently engaged most well-informed musical and public intellectuals in a quest for insight and understanding into the western musical canon and the underlying religious, social, and political issues that inspired its creation.

For 25 years, Zander has enjoyed a unique relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a series of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies. High Fidelity named the recording of Mahler’s 6th as ‘the best classical recording,’ of 2002; the 3rd was awarded ‘Critic’s Choice’ by the German Record Critics’; The Mahler 9th, Mahler 2nd and Bruckner 5th recordings were nominated for Grammy Awards.

Zander enjoys an international career as a leadership speaker, with several keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at TED. The best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, co-authored with leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into eighteen languages. 

*Image at top of release: Alessandro Deljavan by Luca Centola

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