»For me, Brahms’ music is, above all, sensual.« And that is precisely how the pianist Alexandre Kantorow performs the works of the Hamburg-born composer. During the 2024/25 season, the French pianist was Artist-in-Residence at the Elbphilharmonie and performed, amongst other works, Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto – now, together with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Manfred Honeck, he is following this up with the First. With a rich orchestral sound and virtuoso piano playing, they will kick off the Elbphilharmonie’s anniversary season with great energy.
Honeck has been the orchestra’s principal conductor for almost 20 years and is responsible for its excellent sound. It has long been regarded as one of the finest orchestras in America, and they demonstrate this once again in the second half with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. The recording of this symphony won two Grammys and was acclaimed by critics. Composed at a time when artists were being oppressed by the Stalinist regime, it reflects the composer’s difficult position: having fallen out of favour due to other works, he sought to redeem himself with this triumphant symphony. At the same time, it also resonates with despair and inner struggle.
Prelude: The Concert Introduction :German only
Performers
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Alexandre Kantorow piano
conductor Manfred Honeck
Programme
Johannes Brahms
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
– Interval –
Dmitri Schostakowitsch
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Alexandre Kantorow :piano
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About Alexandre Kantorow
In 2019, Alexandre Kantorow, then aged 22, became the first French pianist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as the rarely awarded Grand Prix. Described by Gramophone Magazine as »the real deal, a fire-breathing virtuoso with a poetic charm and innate stylistic mastery«, he has since gone on to collect accolades and perform on the world’s most prestigious stages. In 2024, he made history once again when he became not only the first French but also the youngest recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award.
Alexandre Kantorow performs with renowned conductors such as Ivan Fischer, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He also performs with leading orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Alexandre Kantorow can be heard performing his solo programmes in the world’s greatest concert halls, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Vienna Konzerthaus and Wigmore Hall in London.
Highlights of his 2025/26 season included several major international tours, such as a tour of Japan with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä, as well as a further tour of Asia with the Orchestre Philharmonique de France, conducted by Jaap van Zweden. At the same time, the pianist presented a new recital programme in the major concert halls of Europe and North America and made his debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Manfred Honeck :conductor
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About Manfred Honeck
Manfred Honeck is regarded as one of the world’s leading conductors, whose distinctive and pioneering interpretations have earned him great international acclaim. As Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – his contract having recently been extended until 2032/2033 – Manfred Honeck has been shaping the orchestra’s artistic identity with great dedication and passion since 2008. Joint performances have taken place at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre in New York, as well as in Europe’s most important musical centres and at festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the BBC Proms, the Musikfest Berlin and the Lucerne Festival. This successful collaboration is documented in numerous recordings, which have been honoured with prestigious awards, including two Grammy Awards.
Born in Austria, he completed his musical training at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. His work as a conductor is shaped by the experience he gained over many years as a violist with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. He began his career as a conductor as Claudio Abbado’s assistant in Vienna. Manfred Honeck then moved to the Zurich Opera House as Principal Conductor, where he was awarded the European Conducting Prize.
Following posts with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm. From 2007 to 2011, he served as General Music Director at the Stuttgart State Opera. As a guest conductor, Manfred Honeck works with leading international orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He also regularly conducts all the major American orchestras.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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About the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchester
For over 130 years now, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has embodied artistic excellence, innovation and social commitment. Based at Heinz Hall, the orchestra is one of Pittsburgh’s defining cultural institutions and enriches the musical life of the entire region. At the same time, the orchestra maintains a presence on the world’s major concert stages through international tours, multi-award-winning recordings and ongoing collaboration with leading artists.
Under the artistic direction of Manfred Honeck, who has served as Music Director since 2008, the PSO has further enhanced its international reputation and is now regarded as one of the world’s leading orchestras. It captivates audiences with its unmistakable sound, impressive interpretations and its commitment to both the classical symphonic repertoire and the music of our time. The orchestra’s history includes significant world premieres by Leonard Bernstein and John Adams, recent commissions from leading contemporary composers, and numerous recordings that have won or been nominated for Grammy Awards.
For more than a century, the orchestra has been performing on national and international stages. Under Honeck’s baton, regular European tours have become an integral part of the orchestra’s international profile, including festival tours in 2022 and 2024, as well as the 2026 European tour featuring 13 concerts across six countries. The PSO has also visited the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on each of its festival tours.
The PSO’s mission extends far beyond the concert hall. It has developed a diverse programme in the area of Learning & Engagement. The free Schooltime Concerts alone reach around 23,000 children and young people in the Greater Pittsburgh area every year, enabling them to experience live orchestral music first-hand. Other initiatives, such as the Fiddlesticks Family Concerts and concerts in the city’s neighbourhoods, reflect the orchestra’s belief that music is for everyone.
»YOU CAN FEEL THE EUPHORIA« :Manfred Honeck about the Programme of the Evening and his Connection to the Elbphilahrmonie
You are opening the new concert season at the Elbphilharmonie with your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This is special in two ways: the Elbphilharmonie is celebrating its 10th anniversary this season, and the USA, your adopted homeland, has recently celebrated its 250th anniversary. So what inspired you to put together this programme?
I have felt a close connection to the Elbphilharmonie right from the start. Although I did not conduct the very first concert here, I was one of the first conductors to be allowed to hold a rehearsal with what was then the NDR Symphony Orchestra a few months before the official opening and to get to know the new hall. That is why I am delighted to be opening the anniversary season today.
As a tribute to the city of Hamburg, we are performing the First Piano Concerto by Johannes Brahms, the city’s most distinguished musical son. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, meanwhile, is one of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s great signature works; we won a Grammy for our recording of it. For me, it embodies the longing for freedom. For our second concert tomorrow evening, we have put together a typically American programme, including Dvořák’s »From the New World« Symphony.
A great deal has been written recently about the political and social climate in the US, though less so from the perspective of classical music. How do you perceive current developments and the mood in the country?
I would say that classical music is largely independent of the current political mood. In a sense, it stands above day-to-day political developments and holds a firm place in the hearts of its audience. One major challenge, however, is musical education. My hope is to reach as many people as possible and inspire them with a love of this music. At the same time, I am constantly impressed by the high standard of young musicians.
In Hamburg, classical music has taken on a whole new, previously unheard-of significance since the Elbphilharmonie opened almost ten years ago. You have now conducted there on several occasions. Do you feel that?
Yes, I can certainly relate to that. The Elbphilharmonie has become a landmark of Hamburg. The people of Hamburg are proud of it, and many people all over the world now associate the classical concert experience directly with the city. You can feel this euphoria, and I notice it every time I’m here.
Do you feel that the venue has developed over the past ten years? The acoustics, the atmosphere backstage, the audience?
Yes, definitely! Even at my very first rehearsal at the Elbphilharmonie, I was impressed by the transparency and clarity of the sound. The acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota told me back then that I should wait another three years, as the acoustics would continue to develop. And he was indeed proved right. The sound has remained transparent, but at the same time has become rounder and warmer. He explained to me at the time that the wood »works«. You could perhaps compare it to an old violin that sounds better and better as the years go by. That certainly seems to be the case with the Elbphilharmonie as well.
