New Year with Trifonov
A radiant start to the new year with music that glows with boundless optimism.
‘Thanks to the healthy country air, my sketch has progressed well,’ Strauss wrote from the Bavarian mountains when he was composing Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), ‘and I hope to finish by New Year's Day.’ The music radiates that new year’s feeling, so full of optimism, as is the case in Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. The heroism comes from the soloists: piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov and our concertmaster Igor Gruppman.
Programme & performers
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 1
Strauss
Ein Heldenleben
An hour prior to these concerts there is a concert introduction in the Van Cappellenzaal.
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is back with a fresh dose of music. The oliebollen and champagne season is coming to an end, let’s celebrate New Year once more together! We have prepared vibrant music for New Year with Trifonov to inspire you to set new goals, resolutions and beginnings. With piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will set an optimistic and fresh start to 2023.
What is on your New Year’s (play)list?
Everyone needs some boldness and energy to start working towards set goals. It is no secret that music is one of the best motivators in the world. Every time you start with a blank sheet, we will bring out music sheets to push you a little further! The programme begins with the energetic Piano Concerto No. 1, the music of the piece is bold and beautiful, contrasting with loud and soft tones. This concerto was written by young Beethoven to conquer Vienna, the world capital of music. He tailor-made the music to his own character and brought it himself to the podium as its soloist. As a result, Piano Concerto No.1 was enthusiastically received by the Viennese audience.
The programme concludes with Strauss's Ein Heldenleben – the other powerful musical piece by a young and ambitious German composer. Ein Heldenleben belongs to the early works of Strauss, it helped him to establish his fame in musical circles and among the general public. Together, Piano Concerto No.1 and Ein Heldenleben create the best mix for motivation boost to new beginnings.
Piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov
As mentioned in The New York Times, “Few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence of the pianist Daniil Trifonov”. Trifonov shot to prominence with his victory in the Tchaikovsky competition at the age of 20. In recent years, he received numerous awards, such as Grammy award, Deutsche Grammophon Artist, Musical America’s 2019 Artist, and many others. Together with our concertmaster Igor Gruppman and chief conductor Lahav Shani, Daniil Trifonov will join the scene of Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra once again. With beautiful violin solos in Gruppman's Ein Heldenleben, supported by the powerful conductorship of Shani and the masterly orchestra, it promises to be an unforgettable concert. You will not want to miss this!
A bright new beginning
An artist in a million.
