Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto and Zarathustra

Feel the full might of the orchestra as Music Director Xian Zhang brings two monumental pieces from the classical canon to the Benaroya Hall stage. Rising piano superstar Tony Siqi Yun makes his Seattle Symphony debut with one of the most iconic piano concertos ever composed, Tchaikovsky’s First. This beloved masterpiece is a grand display of Romantic virtuosity that draws on Ukrainian, French and Russian folk and popular song. Then, the orchestra tackles Strauss’ still-ubiquitous, landmark tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra. Based on Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical work of the same name, it pushed the boundaries of music and is indelibly associated with Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.