The Evening Concert

How different, yet how similar string quartets can be, both the compositions themselves and the groups that perform them, tonight being no exception with a quartet by Janacek and one by Mendelssohn...

The 2nd Piano Concerto came 22 years after the "1st Piano Concerto". Brahms was the soloist at the premiere in November of 1881.

To Sibelius, Mahler expressed the belief that "The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything."*

Conductors put together 'programs' that have a sometimes apparent, sometimes not theme. Tonight's is "Program Music", music without words that has a title and attempts to convey a musical description of something...like "The Sea" or "Fate".

They'll play quartets by Haydn, Beethoven, and John Adams (the composer, not the ex-President!)

The week starts with a string quartet from Carnegie Hall (by Haydn), a symphonic poem from Symphony Center (by Debussy), two symphonies from Davies Symphony hall, and more... 

Chamber music by Mahler? Indeed!  Hear his Piano Quartet tonight on the "Evening Concert".

Who is the "Hero" of "Ein Heldenleben" (A Hero's Life)? Is it the composer? Is it the archetype presented by Joseph Campbell in his books on mythology?

It is an educated guess that composer's get good at composing symphonies, so much so that their 5th Symphonies are usually blockbusters!

Mozart's 20th Piano Concerto was the first Mozart concerto that Leif Ove Andsnes played with an orchestra, when he was 14 years old!  He revisits "an old favorite" with the CSO tonight on the "Evening Concert".