27 February 2025 – The McKnight Center for Performing Arts
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Marc-André Hamelin, Piano
Renowned for their collaborative spirit, the GRAMMY-Award winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has played without a conductor since their inception, performing with “edge-of-the seat intensity” and displaying an “infectious love for making music” (New York Times) for audiences around the world.
Marc-André Hamelin, a pianist praised for his “commanding technique” along with his “warmth and affection” (New York Times), makes his long-awaited debut with Orpheus. He navigates the emotionally charged Wanderer Fantasy in a newly commissioned orchestration that updates Liszt’s concerto version. Hamelin is himself a formidable pianist-composer, as heard in the rich counterpoint of his Passacaglia. Michi Wiancko’s take on fanciful delights by Chopin and the unflinchingly honest final sonata from Schubert allow the orchestra to flesh out sounds and emotions buried within these piano masterpieces.
Michi Wiancko – Chopiniana Suite
Liszt – Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15 (after Schubert D. 760)
orch. by Sahun Sam Hong, Commissioned by Orpheus
Marc-André Hamelin – Passacaglia for piano and strings
Schubert – Chamber Symphony in B-Flat Major, (after Piano Sonata D. 960)
orch. by Heribert Breuer