Busoni's grandiose piano Concerto

Ferruccio Busoni’s Piano Concerto in C Major from 1904 is a truly majestic piece of music – simultaneously a demanding solo concerto and a symphony. The men’s chorus (!) featured in the final movement also makes the piece incredibly unusual, both for the repertoire and in its construction. It is a unique piece that one may only ever get one chance to hear performed live.

The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Sakari Oramo will be accompanied on stage by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson for the piece’s five movements. In his repertoire of over 80 concertos, Ohlsson has explored a wide range of piano literature, from Mozart to newly composed pieces.

With Symphony No. 38 in D Major, Mozart gazed into the future and challenged orchestral musicians with more technically demanding sections than in earlier symphonies. In the introductory movement, one can sense the musical fragments familiar from Don Giovanni, the opera that Mozart would soon compose.