The Return of Anna Fedorova
After dazzling our audience with a memorable debut in 2024, the exceptional Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova is reunited with the Franz Schubert Filharmonia to perform the concerto that brought her fame, Rachmaninov’s majestic Piano Concerto No. 2.
In the second half of the concert, under the baton of charismatic Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann, the orchestra will reveal the full power and beauty of Sibelius’s monumental Fifth Symphony. An evening of pure musical genius.
Romantic Pianism and Nordic Majesty
Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova is one of the world’s finest performers of Rachmaninov and a digital sensation: her live recording of the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2 has garnered almost 45 million views on YouTube. Rachmaninov wrote this work in the wake of the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony. He sealed a period of psychological recovery with a richly Romantic concerto that makes huge demands on the soloist. The work’s brilliance and emotional range have ensured its lasting appeal with audiences everywhere.
The Finnish government commissioned Sibelius to compose his Symphony No. 5 to mark his 50th birthday. It became more of an ordeal than a gift, however: Sibelius wrote and rewrote page after page. After the premiere, he spent another four years reworking the symphony into its final form. It is now his most frequently performed work, thanks to its beautiful melodies and sense of Nordic majesty.
