Sunwook Kim

Among the finest pianists of his generation, Korean pianist Sunwook Kim leads the Haydn Orchestra in the dual role of soloist and conductor. The evening opens with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major, the last ever written by the Salzburg composer. Premiered by its author in one of his final public appearances in Vienna, on March 4, 1791, it is perhaps the best known and most performed of his keyboard concertos, thanks to its intimacy and wealth of melodic ideas. Mozart will once again close the program, with Symphony No. 36 in C major, the "Linz": written during a brief stay in Linz, it quickly became one of his most popular and beloved symphonies. At the heart of the program are the Romanze by Niccolò Castiglioni, one of the most original voices of twentieth-century Italian music, this year marking the thirtieth anniversary of his death. Composed for string quartet and later adapted for string orchestra, the Romanze reflect the clarity and contemplative, almost fairy-tale-like rarefaction — so far removed from ideological avant-gardism — that characterizes Castiglioni's work.