Yuja Wang speelt Brahms' Pianoconcerten nr. 1 en 2

Yuja Wang

'Transgressive pianistic skill and magical imagination,' wrote NRC after Yuja Wang's debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2010. The orchestra knows the Chinese piano virtuoso well by now. As does the Main Hall, where she has also given solo recitals. For her, music is a language with which you can give meaning to life—to your own life, but also to that of others. She experiences sitting on stage and making music together as a privilege that brings her great joy. Tonight, she does so with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, of which she has been Artistic Partner since 2024. She conducts the orchestra from behind the grand piano in both of Brahms' piano concertos.

Brahms' Piano Concertos 1 and 2

For the Brahms fan, this program is a real treat. In the First Piano Concerto, we hear the young Brahms, deeply affected by Schumann's depression and determined to break free from Beethoven. The result: a massive and dramatic work—more symphony than piano concerto. Twenty-three years later, a very different Brahms sounds in the Second Piano Concerto : self-assured, relaxed, and surprisingly lyrical, with a melancholic smile here and there.