ConcertPulse
Semyon Bychkov & Mao Fujita
In 2021, Japanese pianist Mao Fujita caused a sensation at the Verbier Festival with his acclaimed performance of all Mozart piano sonatas. A year later, at the age of twenty-three, he released the cycle on CD. Critics praised the pianist’s “miraculous articulation.” Mao Fujita will now make his debut with the BRSO by performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, whose somber and resigned tone already points towards the Romantic era. Schubert’s “Great” C major Symphony is equally groundbreaking. Its epic, large-scale structure, the richness and variety of phrasing, and its expansive pace led Robert Schumann to enthusiastically exclaim: “This heavenly length, like a monumental novel in four volumes.” After a long break, Semyon Bychkov will return to conduct the BRSO for this concert. The former principal conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester has led the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, and is a sought-after guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras.