A kaleidoscope of dazzling orchestral colors, Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra celebrates the musical traditions of the composer’s native Poland. But rather than using Polish folk tunes as a springboard for nostalgia or nationalism, Lutosławski weaves them together into a modernist tapestry of explosive emotion — from the sinister drumbeats that drive the opening dance to a finale of electrifying joy.
Aristo Sham — gold medalist at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth — makes his DSO debut performing the Mount Everest of piano music: Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2. A work of blazing intensity that tests the piano’s boundaries, Prokofiev’s concerto proves the perfect showcase for Sham, whose performances call to mind “a chorus line of lightning bolts” (Gramophone).