Emanuel Ax & the Concertgebouw Orchestra play John Williams

About the Event

Emanuel Ax and the Concertgebouw Orchestra are presenting a Dutch premiere of a modern masterpiece: John Williams’s Piano Concerto. This event also features Petr Popelka conducting works by Tchaikovsky and Dvořák.

Emanuel Ax
The renowned pianist Emanuel Ax is a beloved recurring guest of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, consistently displaying his incredible musical range. John Williams, a legendary film composer known for iconic scores like Star Wars and Harry Potter, has crafted a piano concerto for Ax. Unlike Williams’s signature cinematic sound, this concerto showcases his passion for jazz in a refreshingly contemporary manner. Here, you'll find no film themes but almost encounter Tchaikovsky, whose Francesca da Rimini is a gripping tale of forbidden love and retribution.

Petr Popelka conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Czech maestro Petr Popelka is debuting with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. As the chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Popelka excels in Central European repertoire. He is set to enchant audiences with his fellow Czech Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony, a rare jewel last heard from the Concertgebouw Orchestra over two decades ago. This piece marked Dvořák’s rise as a symphonist, painting a picture of a sunlit spring landscape brimming with the melodic genius that even moved his contemporary Brahms to envy.