Event info

Bezhod plays Rachmaninoff – Iceland Symphony
7. Jun » 19:30 Eldborg | Harpa

CONDUCTOR
Joshua Weilerstein

SOLOIST
Behzod Abduraimov

PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven Egmont Overture
Florence Price Symphony no. 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2

Uzbek child prodigy Behzod Abduraimov captured the hearts of Iceland Symphony Orchestra’s guests in the autumn of 2015, when he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 3 so brilliantly that the audience was stunned. Now he is back, with one of the most popular concerti of all time: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2 is lyrical yet majestic – a celebration of pyrotechnics for anyone who loves piano music at its best.

Florence Price, the first African-American woman known to have dedicated herself to symphonic composition, enjoyed a successful career. Her first symphony won the top prize in the Wanamaker Foundation competition in 1932 and was subsequently performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Interest in her works has resurfaced in recent years, and now she is being performed for the first time in Iceland. American conductor Joshua Weilerstein won first prize in the 2009 Malko Competition. Since then he has travelled the world over, including conducting engagements with all of the major Nordic orchestras and the renowned Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.