Yuja Wang e Ravel

M. Ravel, Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra per la mano sinistra in re magg.
Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra in sol magg.
M. Musorgskij, Quadri di un’esposizione

This evening we shall enjoy two of Maurice Ravel’s well-known concertos for piano and orchestra, the first for the left hand, and the second in G. Both were performed for the first time, a few days apart, in January 1932 by different soloists.
The Concerto per pianoforte per la mano sinistra is dedicated to Paul Wittgenstein, brother of the famous philosopher Ludwig. He lost his right arm in the first world war, and played this concerto the first time in Vienna.
The Concerto in G was conducted in Paris by Ravel himself, with the Orchestre Lamoureux and the pianist Marguerite Long. Since then it has become one of the most frequently played concertos, and a favorite with audiences.
Tonight’s soloist, Yuja Wang, a widely acclaimed interpreter, has enjoyed the critics’ enthusiasm on every continent. The San Francisco Chronicle commented that she ‘was very simply the most dazzling pianist, incredibly talented, in today’s concert world, and all you have to do is sit back, listen, and admire her art.’
In the second half of the evening we shall be treated to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, in Ravel’s sumptuous orchestral version, played by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski.