Yuja Wang Premieres Lindberg Piano Concerto

Composer Magnus Lindberg's new Piano Concerto No. 3 for superstar pianist Yuja Wang debuts on October 13-15 with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen, a close collaborator of many decades. After the world premiere, Wang tours the concerto internationally to orchestras in five different cities: Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Oct 20 & 22), New York Philharmonic (Jan 5-10), Orchestre de Paris (Apr 13-14), NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in Hamburg (May 5 & 7), and Orchestra dell'Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (May 11-13).

Lindberg, a pianist himself who grew up watching legends such as Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, and David Oistrakh perform in Finland, has a deep love for the instrument. He has written two previous piano concertos, for Paul Crossley and Yefim Bronfman. Lindberg states, "Piano for me has always been the ultimate instrument. A piano onstage in a big hall-there is nothing more beautiful."

Lindberg describes his concerto for Yuja Wang as epic in scope: "It is almost like an opera-it's so rich in its storytelling. It's huge. In a way, it's the biggest piece I've written." Composed in three movements ("I would almost call it three concertos in one piece," says Lindberg), the score is woven together as a multi-faceted narrative featuring various musical characters, each marked by distinct harmonies and tempos:

"I have a chart of eight different characters that I've arranged like a William Faulkner novel: There are many stories going on at the same time-you present one, move on to the next one, then return to another one. Every time a story returns, it has something new to say."

The Piano Concerto No. 3 was commissioned by China National Centre for the Performing Arts, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonie de Paris-Orchestre de Paris, and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester.

Performances

Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Friday, October 14, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco

Yuja Wang, piano

San Francisco Symphony

Esa-Pekka Salonen

CARL NIELSEN Helios Overture

MAGNUS LINDBERG Piano Concerto No. 3 (WORLD PREMIERE)

BELA BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra

Post-Concert Q&A: A post-concert audience Q&A session with composer Magnus Lindberg and pianist Yuja Wang will be presented from the stage following the concert on October 13. Free to all ticket holders.