Once Brahms had freed himself of his fear of the symphonic genre, it seems that nothing could stop him! Composed in a just year, the Second Symphony is irresistible from its opening bars: drawing on the Brahms’s more classical side, its success would easily surpass that of his First Symphony. Showing a strong Brahmsian influence, Strauss’s whimsical Burleske for piano and orchestra was composed when the composer was only 21 years old, and is marked by his early genius. One of most promising Canadian composers of his generation, Toronto Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence Jordan Pal’s work has been celebrated for being “shimmering and welcoming, trembling with life and intelligence.” (Radio-Canada).

Vogue la rivière, a short movie by Mathias Arroyo-Bégin
With the support of Concordia Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Photo: Kent Nagano © Antoine Saito