Festival Warm-Up Concert: Tra Mondi – Between Worlds | Cornèr Bank Preview

Grigori Sokolov describes the talent of pianist Alexandra Dovgan, born in 2007, as extraordinary: not just a prodigy, but a mature artist capable of impressive expressive depth. This year, Alexandra Dovgan makes her debut at Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonie in Berlin.
In 1808, Beethoven premiered his Piano Concerto No. 4, conducting and performing the solo part simultaneously. The Viennese public’s reactions ranged from enthusiasm to exhaustion, as the work was part of a concert marathon lasting more than four hours. Beethoven also caused a stir when, conducting from the piano, he dropped the candelabra. His student, Carl Czerny, likened the maestro’s appearance to that of Robinson Crusoe, with his “very black hair standing up in disarray around his head.”
Less wild, but with a thick beard and dark overcoat, 51-year-old Antonín Dvořák embarked on the journey to America with his wife and two of his children. The crossing from Bremen to New Jersey took nine days. A patron had entrusted him, as director of the New York Conservatory, with the task of developing an autonomous American national music. The first performance of Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” on Dec. 17, 1893, became the musical event of the century in New York. At Carnegie Hall, the “Ninth” was greeted by overwhelming enthusiasm, beginning a success story that continues to this day