NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

Virtuosity and poetry - to be considered a legend in one's own lifetime is proof of a pianist's extraordinary status. But to even have a literary monument set to him in an international bestseller is probably almost unique. In "The Human Flaw", writer Philip Roth describes in detail his fascination with the appearance and playing of Yefim Bronfman - a Prometheus who takes all his fire with him at the end of the concert, but leaves his audience indelibly inflamed. However, undeniable power is only one of the qualities of Bronfman's approach; his teacher Leon Fleisher already attested to his ability to use his absolute will, head and heart in equal measure, and in 2022 the Münchner Merkur praised the phenomenal precision of the "lyrical lion", who knows how to use his full paw as well as his velvet paw. Rachmaninov's notoriously difficult 3rd Piano Concerto has long been a showpiece in Bronfman's repertoire. Nevertheless, the pianist always finds a fresh approach that leaves no room for routine - and loves the work's "larger-than-life" virtuosity as well as its great poetry, which even classical beginners can enjoy.

The reunion with the keyboard titan is also Alan Gilbert's first guest appearance at the Albert Concerts. Gilbert was the first native New Yorker to head the New York Philharmonic Orchestra from 2009 to 2017; he has conducted the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra since 2019. In Freiburg, he will navigate this orchestra through Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, whose fatefully resounding opening sets the tone for a surging drama of the soul. Although it is obvious to look for parallels to the turbulent life of the composer, Tchaikovsky himself insisted that every artist lives a double life: "the generally human and the artistic, although the two areas need not necessarily coincide."

Program:
Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor op. 36

Yefim Bronfman, piano
Alan Gilbert, conductor
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester

EUR 109,- / 97,- / 83,- / 61,- / 49,- incl. fees

Yefim Bronfman | Photo © Frank Stewart