Classical music — orchestral and opera — has been one of my major interests for most of my life. I'll use this blog to tell about some of the concerts I'm attending and the opportunities to listen to some of them and other good programs on the web.
Andris Nelsons leads the BSO and frequent collaborator Kirill Gerstein in the U.S. premiere of a new concerto by the Spanish composer Francisco Coll. A one-time protégé of composer Thomas Adès, Coll composes music of “great energy and sonic imagination.” Beethoven’s dramatic “Coriolan” Overture begins the program, which ends with the same composer’s Seventh Symphony, a universal favorite bursting with lyricism and exuberance.
Andris Nelsons, conductor Kirill Gerstein, piano
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN “Coriolan” Overture Francisco COLL Piano Concerto (U.S. premiere; BSO co-commission) BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
In a conversation with CRB's Brian McCreath, Kirill Gerstein describes the unique qualities of Francisco Coll's music and, specifically, Piano Concerto, what its challenges are and why those challenges are ultimately so rewarding. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
Francisco Coll is a painter as well as composer, his creative processes often overlapping to include art works specifically associated with the music he writes. Below is Piano Concerto, a painting created in conjunction with the new concerto performed in this concert.
Courtesy Of The Artist
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Francisco Coll/BSO
Piano Concerto - Francisco Coll
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Kirill Gerstein,
Andris Nelsons leads the BSO and frequent collaborator Kirill Gerstein in the U.S. premiere of a new concerto by the Spanish composer Francisco Coll. Co-commissioned by the BSO with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the concerto was premiered by Gerstein and the orchestra under Simon Rattle’s direction in spring 2026. Coll’s music is performed by the major orchestras of Europe. A one-time protégé of composer Thomas Adès, he composes music of great energy and sonic imagination. Works of Beethoven begin and end the program: his dramatic Coriolan Overture and the Seventh Symphony, a universal favorite bursting with lyricism and exuberance.
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