Aziz Shokhakimov conducts Grieg and Sibelius — With Alexandre Tharaud

The always brilliant Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra is back on medici.tv with a concert broadcast from the Strasbourg Convention Center, joined by distinguished pianist Alexandre Tharaud! Under the baton of young maestro Shokhakimov, the ensemble interprets a program that spotlights the high Romanticism of two favorite Nordic composers.

The evening kicks off with Schumann's Overture from Hermann and Dorothea, inspired by a Goethe poem, whose score is punctuated by recurrences of the Marseillaise. Next, the star soloist takes the stage to perform a piece redolent of Norwegian folklore, the ultra-famous Piano Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg—a veritable monument of the repertoire, influenced by the work of Schumann. Finally, the orchestra brings the festivities to a close with Jean Sibelius's sublime First Symphony, a masterpiece of power and finesse that helped establish the international renown of Finland's best-known composer.

Photo © Jean-Baptiste Millot

Alexandre Tharaud appears courtesy of Warner Classics/Erato.