Jeremy Denk Will Perform as Soloist In Fairfax Symphony's Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University will co-present Jeremy Denk on November 23, 2024, at 8:00 pm. Denk joins the FSO as soloist for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert, conducted by FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman, also includes the Regional Premiere of She Dreams of Flying by American composer Quinn Mason, and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. 

The concert highlights the continuation of an ongoing partnership between the FSO and the Center for the Arts. Last season, the institutions co-presented internationally renowned soprano Renée Fleming, who joined the FSO to perform Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Center for the Arts at George Mason University to bring audiences this special program featuring both one of history's greatest works with world-renowned soloist Jeremy Denk, plus the Regional Premiere of She Dreams of Flying by composer Quinn Mason," said Christopher Zimmerman, music director and conductor of the Fairfax Symphony. Throughout his 15 years leading the FSO, and his 40-year career, Zimmerman has remained committed to presenting not only the tried-and-true masterpieces, but also showcasing innovative works by new composers.

Jeremy Denk is, according to The New York Times, "a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs." He's a recipient of both a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, and was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. On this program he plays one of classical music's most-performed works, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Beethoven himself was the soloist for the concerto's world premiere in 1808. A warm, lyrical, and poetic work, the concerto was innovative for its time because it opens with the piano soloist playing alone, rather than coming in after a long orchestral introduction.

A pre-performance discussion with Jeremy Denk and Maestro Christopher Zimmerman, moderated by Mason Dewberry School of Music Professor John Healey, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain. Denk also leads a masterclass for George Mason University Dewberry Family School of Music students on Thursday, November 21 at 2:00 pm at the Harris Theatre on George Mason's Fairfax Campus; the masterclass is free to the public for observation with advance registration required.

Quinn Mason's She Dreams of Flying was premiered in 2023 by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, where Mason was artist-in-residence at the time. In his program note for the piece, Mason writes that "She Dreams of Flying is my tribute to the inspirational and amazing women in my life, many of whom have played a significant part in my musical and personal development." Audiences at this concert will hear the work's first performance in the Washington, DC-metro area.

Symphonic Dances was Rachmaninoff's last major composition, completed in 1940. Throughout the Symphonic Dances Rachmaninoff looks back nostalgically at both his Russian homeland (the entirety of the work was composed in the United States) and at his own career; at various points, Rachmaninoff quotes his own First and Third Symphonies as well as the "Dies Irae" and the chant "Blessed art thou, Lord" from his All-Night Vigil. The work features a large orchestra with some unusual instrumentation, including alto saxophone and lots of percussion. Symphonic Dances is a tour de force of orchestral writing that continues to captivate audiences with its emotional depth and brilliance.

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