Yuja Wang returns to Los Angeles this season, performing a complete cycle of Bartók’s Piano Concerti with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. She plays Concerto No. 1 on May 26, 27 & 28; Concerto No. 2 on June 1 & 2; and Concerto No. 3 on June 3 & 4. The programmes also feature works by two contemporaries of Bartók: Stravinsky’s Requiem Canticles and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass (May 26-28) and Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Janáček’s Sinfonietta (June 1-4). Tickets and additional information for all performances can be found via LAPhil.com.
“Intensely challenging for both pianist and orchestra, Bartók’s masterpiece here maintained an admirable consistency of coherence and panache, Wang’s precision and sheer physical strength quelling the demands of the extrovert writing with confidence and ebullient rhythmic drive …” (The Guardian / Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony)
Series Details: Bartók’s three piano concertos are a priceless treasure of the 20th-century. Each distinct, they give us three perspectives of the mature composer’s persistent creative growth: from the fearless modernist to the monster virtuoso to the folk-inflected poet. Yuja Wang’s astonishing gifts are suited for the awesome challenges Bartók sets before her. Hear the concertos in chronological order as part of these exhilarating programs that feature music by his contemporaries Stravinsky and Janáček.