Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto

Two British stars — conductor Alexander Shelley and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor — return to the Seattle Symphony for a program of moody, triumphal magnificence. Grosvenor plays Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, a darkly Romantic piece that marked a resounding and much-needed success for the composer after the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony. Shelley then conducts Sibelius’ dramatic Second Symphony, long associated with Finland's struggle for independence from Russia but also for its composer, a “confession of the soul.” The evening opens with contemporary Canadian Indigenous (Métis) composer Ian Cusson’s musical depiction of Haruki Murakami’s mystical, alternate history sci-fi novel, 1Q84.