麻豆社

Tormented souls, bitter despair, a wretched marriage and clandestine passion: what better subject for a symphonic poem for a tortured composer? No wonder Francesca da Rimini's journey into Dante's second circle of Hell resonated with Tchaikovsky! In 1893, nearly 20 years later, Tchaikovsky had finished another symphonic work with, he wrote, 'such a programme that will remain an enigma to everyone鈥攍et them guess'. People have been guessing about the 'Path茅tique' symphony ever since. Its extreme emotional contrasts, pivoting between euphoric outbursts and dark anguish, have helped most imagine that the music is autobiographical. Added to which, memorable tunes and gripping musical drama have made the 'Path茅tique' enduringly popular. But that in no way overshadows its revolutionary sequence of movements (no less than Mahler took it as a model), capped by a long drawn-out, slow finale which dissolves into silence.

Completing this all-Tchaikovsky programme, Bruce Liu, much-praised winner of last year's Chopin International Piano Competition, plays the Second Piano Concerto.

Recorded last week at the Royal Festival Hall and presented by Martin Handley.

Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44

8.55 pm
Interval
Bruce Liu Looks back to the 2021 Chopin Competition and introduces this recording he made there:

Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54

9.10 pm
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Op. 74 'Path茅tique'

Bruce Liu (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)