November 2024
Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires is loved by
audiences worldwide for her warm tone and thoughtful interpretations. In 2023,
MCO members, who traditionally form a large part of the Lucerne Festival
Orchestra every summer, had the pleasure of performing Mozart's Jeunehomme piano concerto No. 9 together with Pires. The MCO is
happy to continue this inspiring collaboration during a tour that will take us
to Italy and France.
Beethoven's serene fourth piano concerto will be on
the program for two evenings, along with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's lively
fourth, "Italian" symphony. While the latter evokes the landscape and
atmosphere of southern Europe, Peter Eötvös’ Aurora, the opening piece of this
program, was composed under the impression of the natural phenomenon of the
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), which the composer witnessed when traveling
to Alaska in 1971. MCO’s double bassist Rick Stotijn will play the demanding solo
part in this piece.
With ascending conductor Elim Chan, this is our second
tour; we will again share the stage with her during our MCO Academy tour in
February 2025.
