Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with Pianist Emanuel Ax Makes Arsht Center Debut March 18, 2020

 “The most distinguished American pianist alive” -- The Telegraph

 “The professionalism and masterful musicianship that characterize this orchestra, married to the urgent expressivity of its young conductor, resulted in an intense energy that bewitched the audience.” –Le Cronache Salerno

Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $50 - $170*

John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall

 Miami, FL – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) continues its Knight Masterworks Classical Music series with the Arsht Center debut of the ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA with the guest soloist EMANUEL AX on Wednesday, March 18, at 8 p.m. in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall. Ax will play Brahms’s grand and lyrical Piano Concerto No. 1, conducted by Lahav Shani. The program also features the Philharmonic performing Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a dazzling showcase for the visiting musicians.

  “We are so fortunate to present this international renowned orchestra and this celebrated pianist in a program including two cornerstones of music of the last two centuries,” said Liz Wallace, vice president of programming for the Arsht Center.

PERFORMERS AND PROGRAM

ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Lahav Shani, chief conductor

Emanuel Ax, pianist

Program:

BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1

BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra

The program offers two cornerstones of the classical music repertory, composed nearly 100 years apart.

Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 of 1858 revealed the precocious 20-year-old composer flexing his muscles and expanding the form of the concerto, challenging the pianist to ecstatic heights. The result is a dramatic work of epic emotions, notable for its scale and grandeur, as well as the thrilling technical difficulties it presents for pianist and orchestra.

In 1943, Bartók composed his Concerto for Orchestra as a newly arrived immigrant to the United States, having fled from Hungary and World War II just three years earlier. Premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1944, it immediately became one of his most popular works. When asked to explain why he had called this five-movement orchestral showpiece a “concerto,” Bartók said that he meant that he had often treated individual sections of the orchestra were often treated as soloists.

TICKETS

Tickets range from $50-$170* and can be purchased online at arshtcenter.org, by phone at (305) 949-6722, or in person at the Adrienne Arsht Center Box Office, located at 1300 Biscayne Blvd.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Founded in 1918, the ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. The orchestra distinguishes itself with its intense energy during performances, its acclaimed recordings and its innovative audience approach, with which it has claimed its own position among Europe’s most foremost orchestras. In the 1970s, with Jean Fournet and Edo de Waart, the orchestra gained international recognition. Valery Gergiev’s appointment heralded a new period of bloom, which continued from 2008 with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, principal conductor until the 2017–2018 season, after which he remains with the orchestra as honorary conductor. LAHAV SHANI made his debut as principal conductor this season. The prodigiously gifted Israeli conductor’s career was launched when he won first prize at the 2013 Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition in Bamberg. Since then he has quickly established himself as one of the most talked about young conducting talents making a huge impression with his astonishing maturity and natural, instinctive musicality.

 Born in modern-day Lvov, Poland, pianist EMANUEL AX is one of the best-known classical musicians of our time. A Sony Classical exclusive artist since 1987, Ax is the winner of multiple GRAMMY® Awards for both solo and chamber performances. Recent releases include Brahms Trios with Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma and two-piano music by Brahms and Rachmaninoff with Yefim Bronfman. A committed exponent of contemporary music, he has had works written for him by many of the top composers of our era, including John Adams, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Bright Sheng.

FREE MASTERWORKS PRE-CONCERT TALKS presented by Steinway & Sons Miami

A free pre-concert lecture will be held in the Arsht Center’s Peacock Foundation Education Center (inside the Knight Concert Hall) at 7 p.m. prior to the concert.

The 2019-2020 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season Classical Music Series is funded with leadership support from Knight Foundation, with additional support from Lyft, inc.; University of Miami Health System; Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami; Caring Friends Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee; and Encore Circle members.