RACHMANINOFF & SIBELIUS

James Lowe, guest conductor Michelle Cann, piano PROGRAM Jimmy Lopez | Aino Rachmaninoff | Piano Concerto No. 2 Sibelius | Symphony No. Journey across landscapes and emotional worlds in a concert that traces the search for musical identity and expression. At the heart of the program is Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring GRAMMY Award winning pianist Michelle Cann, who last appeared with the PSO in 2021. Cann brings her signature expressive artistry to perform one of the most beloved works in the piano repertoire. Balancing breathtaking virtuosity with moments of remarkable tenderness, it’s a powerful statement of renewal and confidence. Beginning the program is Jimmy Lopez’s “Aino,” inspired by his days in Finland as a young student and the country’s national epic, the Kalevala, which Lopez was first drawn to thanks to the works of Sibelius. Telling the tragic story of a young maiden, the mesmerizing tone poem blends vivid orchestral color with lyrical beauty. Rounding out the concert is Sibelius’s unhibited Symphony No. 1. From its melancholy opening melody to the long passionate lines of its finale, it is expansive and moving, full of lush, unabashed Romanticism. RUN TIME: approximately 2 hrs including intermission