2020-May-28, Atlanta Symphony Hall: Kirill Gerstein Performs Mozart

Programme Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847)Hebrides Overture "Fingal's Cave", Op.26 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)Piano Concerto no. 17 in G major, K453 Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich (1840-1893)Symphony no. 6 in B minor, "Pathétique", Op.74 Performers Kirill GersteinPiano Nikolaj Szeps-ZnaiderConductor Atlanta Symphony Orchestra pa•thé•tique /pä tā tēk/ adj. 1 movingBe enthralled when Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra stir up the passion in Tchaikovsky's heartrending "Pathétique" Symphony.Mendelssohn's 1829 visit to Fingal's Cave, a gigantic natural structure in the Scottish Hebrides, inspired one of the most enchanting and beloved works in the orchestral repertoire. Kirill Gerstein solos in Mozart's elegant Piano Concerto No. 17. Mozart was thrilled when his pet starling surprised the composer/pianist by singing the Concerto's finale! Tchaikovsky confessed that while composing his final Symphony, the tragic "Pathétique," "I frequently wept copiously." Nine days after conducting the Symphony's premiere, Tchaikovsky was dead, at the age of 53.