Explore This Month's E-Resources - School of Music: January 2024

Yuja Wang is one of those stratospheric stars who makes every work sound like it was written just for her—and in this case, it really was… Catch her in the French premiere of Magnus Lindberg's Piano Concerto No. 3, specially composed (with shades of Rachmaninov, Debussy, and Gershwin) to suit Yuja's many talents, joined by maestro Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris—who also perform Sibelius's Valse Triste and Tchaikovsky's magnificent "Pathétique" Symphony No. 6!

Every July since 2000, the Munich Philharmonic has convened at the gorgeous Odeonsplatz to fill the summer air with their celebrated sound, joined by in-demand conductors and soloists for one of the season's most anticipated events. This 2023 edition features piano superstar Lang Lang and charismatic Colombian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, who join the renowned orchestra for an evening rich in emotion and melody.
Their can't-miss program is made up exclusively of high Romantic classics, from Wagner's famous Tannhäuser Overture and Grieg's Piano Concerto—riveting from the thunderous opening run of its first movement to the driving dance of its third, a perfect piece to demonstrate Lang Lang's artistry and technique—to Richard Strauss's exquisite tone poem Don Juan (which made the composer's international reputation when he was just 25) and, finally, Tchaikovsky's sweeping Romeo and Juliet, whose rapturous main theme instantly calls to mind the greatest love stories ever told.

The Concours de Genève - International Music Competition, founded in 1939 as the Concours International d'Exécution Musicale (CIEM), is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious international music competitions. With the aim to discover, promote, and support young talented artists on the way to an international career, the Concours de Genève also has the distinction of spotlighting different disciplines in every edition. In 2023, string quartets and flutists have the chance to compete for the top prizes!
In this final round, our three remaining flutists must tackle their toughest and most exciting hurdle yet: a concerto performance alongside the world-class Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva’s historic Victoria Hall. Watch them take on a gorgeous Mozart Andante and a concerto by Ibert, Nielsen, or Dalbavie—then stay tuned to see who will take home the top prize!

Two of the brightest young stars in the classical music firmament team up for a rich and eclectic program on the stage of the Philharmonie de Paris: the dynamic Klaus Mäkelä, the Orchestre de Paris's music director, and virtuoso pianist Alexandre Kantorow! Winner of the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019 and the ultra-prestigious Gilmore Artist Award for 2024, Kantorow performs Saint-Saëns's "Egyptian" Piano Concerto No. 5, written while the composer was staying in Luxor and brimming with Eastern influences—much like Ravel's "fairy overture" Shéhérazade which opens the concert, an early work that calls to mind Rimsky-Korsakov and augurs the irresistibly melodic oeuvre Ravel would go on to compose. The second half of the program features one of John Dowland's early 17th-century pavanes, the heart-wrenching Lachrimae Antiquae, and concludes with Schumann's Symphony No. 2, a defiant burst of C major triumph born from a period of illness and suffering.

In honor of World Piano Day, held on the 88th day of the year to honor the instrument's 88 keys, join us in an 88-minute celebration of legendary pianists and the pieces we love to hear them play! Curated specially for you, this compilation brings together works by Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Brahms, and other favorite composers in the hands of some of the finest interpreters of every recorded era: Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein to Van Cliburn and Emil Gilels, Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim to Maria João Pires and Grigory Sokolov, Yuja Wang and Daniil Trifonov to Alexandra Dovgan and Yunchan Lim… and that's just for starters. Sit back and enjoy this pianistic pantheon!