Paavo Järvi conducts Mozart and Schumann — With Víkingur Ólafsson

Relive the memorable debut of Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson with the storied Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam! The virtuoso, one of the most singular and sensitive artists of our day, opens the evening with a masterful rendition of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor. One of only two piano concertos Mozart set in a minor key, the 24th stands out for its intriguing darkness—conveyed to perfection by Ólafsson, who has as delicate a touch as any pianist alive—and for its grandeur: it requires the largest orchestra of the 27 Mozart concertos, a role we are privileged to see filled by the RCO.

Mozart's masterpiece, which influenced the likes of Beethoven and Brahms, gives way to Robert Schumann's "Rhenish" Symphony No. 3. Premiered in 1851 in Düsseldorf with Schumann himself at the podium, the work was inspired by a trip he had taken to the Rhineland a few months earlier with his wife, the famous Clara. The symphony's five movements, brimming with romance and drama, culminate in a heroic finale—all under the expert baton of maestro Paavo Järvi!

Photo © Milagro Elstak

This program is just one of the thousands available on medici.tv, the web’s leading classical music streaming platform!