On November 8 star pianist Alice Sara Ott kicks off a series of 4 country premieres and ten performances of Piano Concerto by Bryce Dessner. She journeys from Paris-Brussels-Eindhoven-Utrecht-Tilburg-Munich and finally to the Philharmonie in Berlin.
Commissioned by Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Cincinnati Symphony, OPRF Radio France and the Philharmonia Orchestra Dessner has written a piece inspired by Ott’s beautiful playing and which brings out her unique qualities as an artist. The partnership with Ott is a great example of Dessner’s collaborative approach to working with his soloist partners.
The Violin Concerto was written for Dessner’s friend Pekka Kuusisto and it showcases Kuusisto’ energy and dazzling technique - described by the San Francisco Chronicle as;
...one of the most viscerally exciting new creations to come along in years.
On November 10 Pekka Kuusisto directs the Norwegian premiere of the chamber version and on the same day Andre de Ridder conducts the original version with Sarah Kristian in Karlsruhe before joining Kuusisto and the National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland on November 15 for the Irish Premiere.
On November 20 and 21 Andrew Manze conducts the Swedish premiere with Pekka Kuusisto who then joins Andre de Ridder for the Belgian premiere in Brussels and in Lyon next year. Esa-Pekka Salonen who initiated the concerto commission for San Francisco Symphony Orchestra finishes the year conducting the concerto with NDR at the Elb Philharmonie and Pekka Kuusisto who then joins Salonen and the LA Phil for performances in May next year. How fantastic to see these wonderful additions to the concerto repertoire blaze a trail around the world.
