Marin and the Many Moods of Schumann

Nineteeth-century violinist Niccolò Paganini was a rock star of his era. Phenomenally gifted, his performance pyrotechnics were legendary and his compositions too technically challenging for most to perform. Who better then to convert Paganini’s work for piano than the phenomenally gifted pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff? Like Paganini, Rachmaninoff dazzled audiences with his performances, and his compositions have challenged the most gifted performers. This Rachmaninoff favorite shines in the hands of Haochen Zhang, a pianist with a “rare gift for painting scenes in music, creating visions and telling stories” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). 

This program begins with the Philadelphia premiere of a work by Ukrainian composer Iryna Aleksiychuk, commissioned by the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. Remembering the barriers she faced as a young conductor and acting in response to the still-limited role of women in music, in political life, and in business, Marin Alsop created the Fellowship to support women conductors, noting, “It is a privilege to be in a position to impact the lives of aspiring women conductors. I can clearly see what is needed to assist emerging conductors in the pursuit of their dreams and want to make the road easier and more rewarding for them. I have never ascribed to the philosophy that, ‘It was tough for me so it will be tough for you.’ My philosophy is: ‘It was tough for me so that I could make it easier for you.’”