October
November 2023
Poised and precise, elegant and immaculate – these are just some of the words that have been used to describe the performances of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and our Artistic Partner Mitsuko Uchida. Seven years after our first tour together in Japan, we return to share our celebrated approach to Mozart's piano concertos once again.
For two weeks, we will be travelling around Japan with two musical programmes, both of them put on stage at the prestigious Suntory Hall in Tokyo. The first part takes us to the last years of Mozart's life. Piano Concerto No. 25 showcases the perfect fusion of Mozart's melodic brilliance and orchestral grandeur. A sharp contrast is made with Schönberg's First Chamber Symphony. This groundbreaking composition is a testament to Schönberg's pioneering approach to music, blending traditional forms with bold harmonic innovations. Of this work, previous performances of the MCO led by its concertmaster José Maria Blumenschein received critical acclaim from the press worldwide. The concert concludes with Mozart's last piano concerto, where a tender dialogue between the piano and the orchestra weaves a tapestry of emotions, evoking a range of feelings from contemplation to exaltation.
In the second programme, we meet a slightly younger Mozart and two of his earlier piano concertos: 17 and 22. In between these pieces, MCO performs Jörg Widmann's Choral Quartet. Originally composed for four instruments, this unique arrangement - premiered by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in 2020 - infuses a new energy into Widmann's work.
