Abstract
Swiss-born Francesco Piemontesi is one of the leading pianists of his generation. He made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker last season with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major. Under the direction of Manfred Honeck, he now performs the same work in our 4th Philharmonic Concert. It is Mozart's last piano concerto and dates from the year of his death, 1791. In its simple beauty and emotional balance, this music already seems to belong to another sphere. The 1st Symphony in D major by Gustav Mahler, composed almost 100 years later, is quite different: strong emotional and stylistic contrasts are virtually characteristic of the style of this monumental first work by the important symphonist on the threshold of the 20th century.