BSO/Classical New England — 2023/10/28

 The BSO isn't at Symphony Hall this week, so WCRB is giving us an "encore broadcast" of a concert from last April. Herewith the particulars as they give them:

Saturday, October 28th, 2023
8:00pm

In an encore broadcast, BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee conducts Unsuk Chin’s powerful tribute to Beethoven, subito con forza, and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, as well as Mozart’s brooding Piano Concerto No. 20 featuring soloist Eric Lu in his Boston Symphony debut.

Earl Lee, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

Unsuk CHIN subito con forza
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
Robert SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2

This concert was originally broadcasted on April 8th, 2023 is no longer available on demand.

Hear a preview with conductor Earl Lee using the audio player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Earl Lee, Boston Symphony Assistant Conductor. Earl,

For whatever reason, I failed to post about it back in April. Fortunately, the BSO performance detail page for the concert is still available, with active links to the program notes and the following general blurb:

BSO Assistant Conductor Earl Lee, making his full-program Symphony Hall debut, is joined by acclaimed young Chinese American pianist Eric Lu for Wolfgang Mozart’s passionate, stormy D minor piano concerto. The title of South Korean-born composer Unsuk Chin’s brief, exciting concert opener translates as "suddenly, with power." Composed during one of his periods of chronic depression, Robert Schumann’s Second Symphony is nevertheless wonderfully affirmative and optimistic in character.

Eric Lu’s performance Friday afternoon is supported by the May and Dan Pierce Guest Artist Fund.

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Earl Lee, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

Unsuk CHIN subito con forza
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
Intermission
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2

The review in the Globe is favorable; I can't find one in the Intelligencer.

It seems that if this isn't quite up to the level of "must listen," you could certainly do worse.