Haochen Zhang will perform Mozart with the Pacific Symphony Nov. 13-15
A passionate journey the audience won’t soon forget will take play when they join the Pacific Symphony in welcoming guest pianist Haochen Zhang and guest conductor Rossen Milanov to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 13-15, continuing the 2014-15 Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series.
Zhang will deliver Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in all its glory with the Pacific Symphony, which follows the pianist’s BBC Proms debut. Led by Bulgarian-born guest conductor Milanov, the orchestra then performs a work by Brahms, as the composer steps out of Beethoven’s shadow with his rich, ingenious Second Symphony.
“Mozart’s music is always very special to me, especially its delicacy and intimacy as well as its simplicity,” says pianist Zhang.
In the hands of Zhang, winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition (and also the youngest contestant), Mozart’s Concerto No. 20 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra, K. 466, is a deeply felt, intricately woven, brooding but in the end exultant masterpiece.
Milanov is the music director designate of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Princeton Symphony and principal conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias (OSPA) in Spain, as well as Music Director of the nationally recognized training orchestra Symphony in C in New Jersey.
Milanov has established himself as a conductor with a considerable international presence, performing for major orchestras across the globe. He has also collaborated with some of the world’s preeminent artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell and Midori, as well as with internationally esteemed vocalists. Noted for his versatility, Milanov is also a well-known figure in the worlds of opera and ballet. He was named Bulgaria’s Musician of the Year in 2005, was among the top 100 most influential people in New Jersey in 2014 and won an ASCAP award in 2011.
“This will be the first time I am leading Pacific Symphony,” says Milanov. “I am looking forward to meeting the musicians. The concert hall has an excellent reputation and I am excited to see how it frames the music being performed there—so there is a lot to look forward to.”
The cheery and almost pastoral mood of the piece often invites comparisons with Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. Rounding out the versatile program of the night will be Thomas Adès’ “Three Studies from Couperin.”
Tickets for this concert are $25-$99. A preview talk with Alan Chapman begins at 7 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit PacificSymphony.org.