Featured Artists
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Hélène Grimaud
Women artists take center stage in these concerts! Pianist Hélène Grimaud brings “astonishing proficiency and poetic sensibilities” (The Washington Post) to Brahms’s First Piano Concerto; 19th-century composer Louise Farrenc’s surging, Romantic First Symphony beguiles with mystery and melody; and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Julia Wolfe’s Pretty is a raucous, rhythmic romp.
Women artists rule the day in these concerts! Pianist Hélène Grimaud’s “astonishing show of proficiency and poetic sensibilities” (The Washington Post) is the perfect skill set for Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, which summons a storm and then blesses the listener with a benediction.
Nineteenth-century composer Louise Farremc got little recognition during her lifetime; male music critics offered only backhanded compliments. Yannick has championed Farrenc’s works, noting “her symphonies and the overtures should hold a similar place as Schumann and Mendelssohn.” Her Third Symphony surges with romance, a melodic, moving thrill from its mysterious opening to its racing flourish of a finale.
Contemporary composer Julia Wolfe’s works make headlines, change hearts and draw new fans with each new bold venture. Her newest piece, Pretty, co-commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra, boldly combines a vernacular American sound with noise, power, delicacy, and aggression, and asking the question – what is pretty after all?
Program
Wolfe
Pretty (Philadelphia Orchestra co-commission)
Farrenc
Symphony No. 1
Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1
Additional Performance Information
