Cristian Măcelaru
Emanuel Ax Erich Wolfgang Korngold
John Williams
Sergei Rachmaninoff

Williams' recent piano concerto, premiered in 2025, was described by soloist Emanuel Ax as one of the most difficult works he has ever performed. Rachmaninoff's final major work, Symphonic Dances, is a melancholic farewell to the homeland he was forced to flee. Korngold's overture to the film The Sea Hawk shows why he is regarded as the father of film music.

Korngold: The Sea Hawk

In the American film The Sea Hawk from 1940, we meet an English captain who helps defend Great Britain against a Spanish invasion. The captain falls in love with the Spanish noblewoman Dona Maria. In classic Hollywood fashion, the film features betrayal, forbidden love, and a happy ending.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) wrote the music for the film and was a pioneer of the film music genre. The overture has since become a popular concert piece that works well on its own. It is at once romantic, adventurous, and dramatic.

John Williams: Piano Concerto

John Williams (b. 1932) is the composer behind film scores such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Home Alone — music that has earned him both Academy Awards and broad international acclaim. Williams has also written a number of classical works and, at the age of 94, remains an active composer.

The Piano Concerto was premiered in 2025 by tonight's soloist, Emanuel Ax, who has described it as one of the most challenging works he has ever played. It consists of three movements, each dedicated to one of the great jazz musicians: Art Tatum, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson.

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) is known for writing music that is sensitive, melancholic, and rich in sonority. This may have been an expression of his longing for Russia, the country he was forced to flee when the revolution broke out in 1917. In the Symphonic Dances, he recalls his homeland through quotations from his own works, as well as from other Russian composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov and Prokofiev. He combines these with a personal, romantic musical language that reinforces the deep melancholy so characteristic of Rachmaninoff's music.

The Symphonic Dances were written in 1940 and consist of three movements. It was the last major work he completed.