LSO Artist Portrait: Daniil Trifonov – London Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
Daniil Trifonov takes on the enormous technical demands of Beethoven’s mighty ‘Emperor’ as part of his Artist Portrait series.
So nicknamed for its heroic melodies and grand scale, Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’, or Piano Concerto No 5, looks beyond the Classical era, exulting in the romance and grandeur that would follow. The piece is propelled by the energetic interplay between piano and orchestra, and requires a pianist of exceptional capability.
Charles Ives’ New England Holidays stands as one of the composer’s most radical and experimental pieces. Juxtaposing a frightening dissonance with picturesque childhood nostalgia, it draws together disparate allusions and discordant sounds to reflect the scraps and fragments that make up our memories. ‘Here are melodies like icons,’ wrote Ives’ biographer, ‘resonating with memory and history, with war, childhood, community, and nation.’