Alexander Melnikov with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2

The Sorcerer's Apprentice and a world premiere with a French touch

L’Apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) is a famous work by French composer Paul Dukas from 1897, inspired by a poem by Goethe and known from Disney's Fantasia . The composition by award-winning South Korean composer Donghoon Shin, commissioned in part by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, will also have a French touch.

Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony and Second Piano Concerto

These two “French” works are contrasted with two masterpieces by Shostakovich. Bulgarian conductor Delyana Lazarova returns to the Netherlands Philharmonic with Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony , one of his four “war symphonies”. While the audience in 1945 expected victory music, Shostakovich came up with a light, compact and bitingly sarcastic symphony.
In addition, Alexander Melnikov will perform a solo in Shostakovich's surprisingly light and playful Piano Concerto No. 2. Melnikov is a specialist: his solo album with Shostakovich's 24 preludes and fugues has won several awards and was included by BBC Music Magazine in its “50 Greatest Recordings of All Time”.

This programme can be heard on 24 and 25 April in the Concertgebouw.