Entrée Essentials: Tsjaikovski’s Pianoconcert nr. 1

Concertgebouw Orchestra Essentials

Essentials is specially designed for those with little or no experience with symphonic music. Discover must-hear masterpieces, performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra and creatively introduced by Thomas Vanderveken. At Essentials, we welcome a new generation of music lovers, and there is a pleasantly informal atmosphere.

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1

Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto begins majestically and features both stormy and tender passages in which the pianist can showcase every facet of his talent in close collaboration with the orchestra. The warm-blooded piano concerto is thoroughly Slavic, with grand gestures and melodies like deep plow marks. It contains quotations from Ukrainian folk music and – surprisingly enough – a snippet of a French cabaret song. Hearing this magnificent work with the young master pianist Seong-Jin Cho and conducted by Joana Mallwitz is a real stroke of luck. The opening piece is another work full of romanticism and stylistic quotations – a suite from Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.

Essentials begins at 9:00 PM with a stimulating introduction to the program.