Overview
Opening Weekend: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Conducted by Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Andrew Litton conducts the inaugural Masterworks concert of the 2016/17 season! These performances mark the triumphant return to Boettcher Concert Hall of pianist Jon Kimura Parker who has been friends with Maestro Litton since their days at the Juilliard School. Litton takes the audience through a pair of big and bold works, starting with Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2. This notable concerto is a perfect match for the skills of Parker, who has played for Queen Elizabeth as well as with a who's who of rockers and jazzers. Next on the program is Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, perhaps best known for its use of the opening measures in Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Strauss' mighty tone poem takes listeners on a musical journey both poignant and philosophical.