Photo: Martin BubandtSibelius Hero, Beethoven Resplendent – October 13-14, 2021 LiveEvents October 8, 2021 1018 Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) presents Sibelius Hero, Beethoven Resplendent Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård conducts the OSM in a concert both lyrical and heroic, steeped in the notion of freedom. In his Third Piano Concerto performed here by Yefim Bronfman, Beethoven lets his bright side shine and his musical discourse run free while he deftly balances the forces of the piano and the orchestra. On a more nationalistic scale, Finland gained its independence just as Sibelius was reworking his Symphony no. 5, which literally bursts with heroism. Also on this program: the world premiere of a work by Canadian composer Dorothy Chang, inspired by our planet’s shifting dynamics of destruction and healing. Artists Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Thomas Søndergård, conductor (replacing Vasily Petrenko) Thomas Søndergård is current Music Director of Royal Scottish National Orchestra, following six seasons as Principal Guest Conductor. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), after stepping down as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. Thomas has conducted many leading orchestras, including London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Göteborgs Symfoniker, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker; leading tours with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and European Union Youth Orchestra; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Brussels Philharmonic; Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Ile de France; Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Yefim Bronfman, piano Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. His commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike. Widely praised for his solo, chamber and orchestral recordings, Mr. Bronfman has been nominated for 6 GRAMMY® Awards, winning in 1997 with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their recording of the three Bartok Piano Concerti. His prolific catalog of recordings includes works for two pianos by Rachmaninoff and Brahms with Emanuel Ax, the complete Prokofiev concerti with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, a Schubert/Mozart disc with the Zukerman Chamber Players and the soundtrack to Disney’s Fantasia 2000. Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists, in 2010 he was further honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University and in 2015 with an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music. Program Dorothy Chang, Precipice World premiere—OSM-commissioned Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37 Sibelius, Symphony no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 82 Schedule Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7:30pm Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 10:30am Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 7:30pm Vaccine passport required. To purchase your tickets visit: www.placedesarts.com