Piano soloist Olga Kern, the first woman in more than 30 years to win the prestigious Van Cliburn competition, makes a welcome return to the TSO performing Rachmaninoff’s romantic third piano concerto. The concerto holds a very special place in Kern’s heart, “This concerto for me is not just any concerto. It’s very special. It goes with me, with my career, always there for me. I have played this piece since I was 15. I was 17 the first time I played it in a competition was at the first International Rachmaninoff competition, and I won first prize. I played it a lot after that; in fact, it was the concerto I played at the Cliburn competition which I also won.”
Kern described the concerto as, “One of the most monumental pieces written for a piano and orchestra. I always feel like we’re all together on stage playing a symphony. It’s not just a piano concerto. It’s so grand with all the drama, tragedy, passion and nostalgia in it.”
No stranger to Tucson, Kern was last year’s artist in residence at the University of Arizona where she taught a masterclass and performed a recital. Her last performance with the TSO in December of 2003. “We are very excited to welcome back to the Tucson Symphony stage the incredible talent and musicianship of pianist Olga Kern. Olga is an amazing musician and human being, and her interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s piano concerto is sure to captivate us all,” said Maestro Gomez.
Also on the opening weekend program are Carlos Chávez’s short opener, Toccata, bursting with the rhythms and sounds of his native Mexico, and Jean Sibelius’s majestic Second Symphony, exuding emotion and an immense source of pride for Finland.