/performances/26-27/cso/cso-at-wheaton-rana-plays-tchaikovsky/

Carl Nielsen’s Inextinguishable Symphony is a work of volcanic energy and struggle, capped by an extraordinary timpani battle. According to the composer, this wartime score represents “everything that moves, that desires life.” That same spirit of conflict and resilience runs through Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, which sets a brave soloist against an eloquent orchestra in a riveting musical dialogue. In this performance, the protagonist is Beatrice Rana, considered “among the finest pianists out there” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). The program opens with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, a stirring meditation on the struggle for freedom and the triumph of the human spirit. This program will also be performed at Chicago Symphony Center on February 4-7.