GÜRZENICH-ORCHESTER KÖLN – NORMAN / SCHUMANN / MOZART

GÜRZENICH-ORCHESTER KÖLN

Emanuel Ax, Piano
François-Xavier Roth, Conductor

NORMAN Drip Blip Sparkle Spin Glint Glide Glow Float Flop Chop Pop Shatter Splash for orchestra (2005)
SCHUMANN, Symphony No. 3 E-flat-major “The Rhenish” (1850)
NORMAN, “Suspend” for Piano and Orchestra (2014). German Premiere
MOZART, Piano Concerto No. 22 E-flat-major (1785)

When performing Robert Schumann’s works, Gürzenich-Kapellmeister François-Xavier Roth is always seeking to emulate the flow of the River Rhine. Especially here, in the overflowing, bubbly Rhenish Symphony in E-flat-major. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22, one of the crown jewels of the repertoire, sparkles in the same key. Artist in Residence Emanuel Ax as the soloist reveals another facet of his immense abilities in this programme with Suspend, a piano concerto written for him by the American composer Andrew Norman a few years ago – a calm, dreamy meditation in which time seems suspended, pondering Brahms’ motto »Frei, aber einsam – Free, yet lonely«. Andrew Norman’s brief translation of 13 words often found in comic strips into music rounds out the programme with a boisterous, surprising display of wit.