Zaragoza: Santtu and Yuja Wang

Programme

Sensational pianist Yuja Wang joins the Philharmonia for a programme of unabashed Romanticism in Zaragoza.

She joins the Orchestra as the soloist in Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto. Rachmaninov began writing this piece when he was just 17 years old, but it’s already full of his trademark mix of ravishing melodies and dazzling showmanship.

Tchaikovsky’s music was a major influence on the young Rachmaninov. His Fourth Symphony, opening with a portentous horn fanfare, is a product of Romanticism at its height. From deceptively simple melodies, Tchaikovsky builds a spellbinding 40 minutes of high emotional drama.

Opening the programme is Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, in which he frames his yearning love theme with music full of anxiety and violence.