Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada Makes His Boston Symphony Orchestra Debut, October 13–15

On Thursday, October 13, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 14, 8 p.m. (Casual Friday); Saturday, October 15, 8 p.m., Emanuel Ax joins the BSO and Andrés Orozco-Estrada as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K.456, on a program with the suite from Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin, and Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody No. 1; Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy opens the Thursday and Saturday programs

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Columbian-born music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra (2014-22), leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the first time in a wide-ranging program of works by Bartók, Enescu, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. He was previously principal conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (2014-21) and Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (2020-22). He recently assumed a professorship in orchestral conducting at Vienna's Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. Emanuel Ax returns to Symphony Hall as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K.456. Since his BSO debut at Tanglewood in 1978, Mr. Ax has been a perennial BSO favorite. In summer 2022, he curated and performed in three "Pathways from Prague" chamber music concerts focusing on works of Dvořák and Janáček.

Béla Bartók started work on his pantomime ballet set to the lurid and violent story of The Miraculous Mandarin in 1917 and made various revisions to it until 1931; the suite, which encompasses about two-thirds of the music from the ballet score, was completed in 1927. Many of George Enescu's works were influenced by the folk music of his native Romania. Written when he was only 19, the first of his two Romanian Rhapsodies is the better known and is marked by ebullience and vigor. The overall mood of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 18 is one of elegant high spirits; the slow movement is a theme and variations. Tchaikovsky's Shakespeare-inspired Romeo and Juliet is one of his most popular works, and its love theme among the best-known passages in all of music, heard in countless films and television shows.

Patrons attending on October 14, the first of this season's four Casual Friday concerts, have the opportunity to hear introductory remarks from a BSO musician and to attend a post-performance Casual Conversation with the players. These lower-priced concerts have no intermission (the program includes only the Bartók, Enescu, and Mozart works) and casual dress is encouraged. Audience members seated in the Tech Section (rear of the floor) have access to the Conductor-Cam, allowing them to view the conductor from the players' vantage point. After the concert, audience members are invited to a conversation between pianist Emanuel Ax and BSO Director of Program Publications Robert Kirzinger that will occur from the Symphony Hall stage.

Please note that all Thursday evening performances will now start at 7:30 p.m., in response to patron feedback and preferences.

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