Inon Barnatan joins New Century Chamber Orchestra and Musical Director Daniel Hope for a collaboration on two works for piano and string orchestra: Dmitri Shostakovich’s delightfully madcap Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor and C.P.E. Bach’s dramatic Keyboard Concerto No. 3 in D minor.
The program also includes Béla Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra, one of the premiere pieces for strings.
Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto is scored for the unusual combination of a string orchestra and solo trumpet, performed by Brandon Ridenour from the American Brass Quintet.
“It is quite unlike anything I know,” says Hope, who counts it as one of his favorite pieces. “It has a fierce structure to it but also great humor, dark humor. Just when you are being drawn into the majesty of the piece, this trumpet arrives with perhaps the most dazzling show of virtuosity you can imagine. Suddenly it becomes almost a duel between the piano and trumpet with the strings there that are so connected and vibrant. When I first heard it, it’s effect on me was immediate. I’d never heard anything quite like it.”
Closing the program is Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra with jubilant Hungarian folk rhythms. “It is one of the great works for strings,” says Hope. “It gives everyone in the ensemble something to say and a chance to really show what they do. It’s a bit like a meeting on the town square with a raucous finale that comes to an absolutely tremendous conclusion.”
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2PM; Presidio Theatre, San Francisco
Tickets: $35-$80
Info and purchase: www.ncco.org