| Slovak Philharmonic Slovak Philharmonic Choir Petr Altrichter conductor Thomas Lang choirmaster Simona Houda Šaturová soprano Jana Kurucová mezzosoprano Juraj Hollý tenor Zhang Zuo „Zee Zee“ piano |
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| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy |
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 Lobgesang |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart managed to create more than twenty piano concertos during his short life. Most of the concertos are in a joyful major key, but Concerto No. 24 is one of two exceptions written in a minor key, and music theorists refer to it as the composer’s best piano concerto. 400 years have passed since the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, and to celebrate this fact in 1840, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy composed the Gutenberg Cantata and the second symphony, which is also known as Lobgesang (The Hymn of Praise) due to the use of the chorale in the final part.
Winner of many competitions, Chinese pianist Zhang Zuo is considered one of the best young performers for her electrifying and passionate playing. The evening’s vocal soloists Simona Houda Šaturová, Jana Kurucová and Juraj Hollý will perform alongside the likeable Czech conductor Petr Altrichter, who is a regular guest of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. Choirmaster Thomas Lang, who works at the Vienna State Opera, is conducting the choral staging this time.