Amsterdam: Santtu and Víkingur Ólafsson

Programme

We open The Concertgebouw’s international concert season with our Principal Conductor and Featured Artist.

First comes a world premiere by Gabriela Ortiz, the Philharmonia’s Grammy-winning Featured Composer this season. Ortiz’s music has immediate appeal, and a distinctive flavour of her Mexican homeland.

The drama and grace of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto are in the more-than-capable hands of soloist Víkingur Ólafsson. A remarkable interpreter of music from Bach to Glass, Ólafsson is the Philharmonia’s Featured Artist this season.

Last but certainly not least comes Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. The Firebird was Stravinsky’s first collaboration with the impresario Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, a partnership that gave birth to some of the definitive music of the early 20th century. The tale of a huntsman prince, a magical bird, an evil monster and 13 enchanted princesses is based on stories from Russian folkore. It’s the perfect showcase for Stravinsky’s masterly orchestration skills and harmonic and rhythmic originality. “Mark him well,” said Diaghilev, “he is a man on the eve of celebrity.”