Pianist

Symphony Orchestra's principal guest conductor Maxim Emelyanychev takes the podium and leads the orchestra initially in Salonen's symphonic poem Nyx inspired by the shadow like godess with the same name in Greek mythology. The South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son then joins for Witold Lutosławski's Variations on a Theme by Paganini, based on Niccolò Paganini's famous Caprice No. 24 for solo violin, known for its virtuosic demands and catchy theme, as well as Richard Strauss' humorous Burleske. The concert concludes with Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 3, nicknamed 'Rhenish,' inspired by the composer's time in the Rhineland.

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Emelyanychev interprets Salonen & Schumann

Berwaldhallen

A monsoon downpour and a cascade of flame: elemental forces are in play as Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra continue their season with music inspired by the environment in all its fragility and power. But Stravinsky’s dazzling Firebird suite and Judith Weir’s magical rain-spell aren’t even the half of this gloriously colourful concert.

Stravinsky's Firebird

Barbican Centre

Exceptional South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son has dazzled and delighted SCO audiences over the past couple of years with her exquisitely poetic playing and her exuberant enthusiasm. She is famed for her particularly meaningful insights in Mozart’s music, and she returns with two of the great composer’s most compelling concertos: the profoundly expressive No.21 and deeply dramatic No.24.

Yeol Eum Son plays Mozart

Aberdeen Music Hall

The Queen's Hall

City Halls

Tchaikovsky’s flamboyant concerto is swept along on a tide of impassioned melodies and scintillating piano fireworks. Brahms’ symphony sings and dances to a different tune, propelled by a lyrical charm, panache and sunny high spirits; “the melodies fly so thick here that you have to be careful not to step on one” deadpanned Brahms whilst writing it at an idyllic lakeside retreat. Beethoven distils the essence of his only opera Fidelio into the standalone overture, from the claustrophobia and despair of imprisonment to a jubilant celebration of love and freedom.

Brahms’s Second at Saffron Hall

Saffron Hall

Enjoy your first look at all the 2025-26 Fellows in their debut orchestra concert of the season – this is the new New World Symphony!

Tianyi Lu Conducts Bartók & Brahms

New World Center

With a thunderous entrance from the orchestra and piano chords that crash like waves, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto announces itself with total confidence.

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto

Sydney Opera House

Armed with phenomenal technical powers and the ability to produce spontaneous and poetic insights at will, Yeol Eum Son draws audiences deep into the works in her vast repertoire. She graces Wigmore Hall’s Piano Festival this lunchtime with a compelling programme of compositions by some of the last century’s greatest pianists, the hauntingly beautiful Elegy by Tatiana Nikolayeva and Wanda Landowska’s shimmering Feu follet among them.

Yeol Eum Son piano

Wigmore Hall

Indomitable, legendary women make their mark in this concert celebrating operatic scores and captivating storytelling. Anja Bihlmaier conducts this orchestral thriller, featuring music from Strauss’ epic, revengeful opera, Elektra. The twisted tale of Salomé is depicted by French composer Mel Bonis, whose music explores the stories of distinctive female figures from literature and mythology. At the center of the program, Yeol Eum Son’s virtuosic gifts shine in Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto.

Salomé and Elektra

Powell Hall

Celebrated South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son makes her Spivey Hall debut.  Yeol Eum Son’s graceful and timeless interpretations, crystalline touch and versatile, thrilling performances have caught the attention of audiences worldwide. Praised for her refined touch, Son brings an unmistakable sense of poetry and intelligence to every program she performs.

Yeol Eum Son, piano

Clayton State University

Yeol Eum Son plays Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto - the opening chapter in a musical journey through the dark heart of the 20th century.

Yeol Eum Son plays Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto

By now, you may have figured out that one of Thomas Søndergård’s favorite composers is Richard Strauss. This time, he draws our attention to Strauss’ only work for piano and orchestra with decorated soloist Yeol Eum Son making her Minnesota Orchestra debut. There are many great moments in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, including a moving Adagietto which some scholars have described as a love letter to his wife, Alma.

Pianist

Yeol Eum Son

Events

Upcoming events

21 - 23 Aug, 2026

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto · Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Oct 1, 2026

Yeol Eum Son piano · Wigmore Hall

29 - 30 Jan, 2027

Salomé and Elektra · St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Feb 21, 2027

Yeol Eum Son, piano · Spivey Hall

May 7, 2027

Yeol Eum Son plays Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto · Barbican Centre

Past events

24 - 25 Apr, 2026

Emelyanychev interprets Salonen & Schumann · Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mar 13, 2026

Stravinsky's Firebird · Barbican Centre

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 1 by Beethoven

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 3 by Bartók

New World Symphony

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninoff

Barbican Centre

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 21 by Mozart

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Piano in 6 Morceaux by Viardot

Spivey Hall

Piano in Burleske by Strauss

Minnesota Orchestra

Piano in Symphony No. 5 by Mahler

Minnesota Orchestra

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 24 by Mozart

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Piano in Piano Concerto No. 3 by Bartók

Barbican Centre

Piano in Romance in F minor by Tchaikovsky

Spivey Hall

Piano in Reminiscences of Snow White by Wild

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Variations on a Theme by Paganini by Lutosławski

Minnesota Orchestra

Piano in Piano Sonata No. 29 by Beethoven

Spivey Hall

Piano in Improvisation on the Wiegenlied by Johannes Brahms by Bendel

Spivey Hall

Piano in Am stillen Herd by Liszt

Spivey Hall

Piano in Humoresques de concert by Paderewski

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Sonata antigua by Larrocha

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Feu follet by Landowska

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Valse in E minor by Landowska

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Elegy by Nikolayeva

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Ischia Suite by Kempff

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Albumblatt by Weissenberg

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Schlittenfahrt by Weissenberg

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Étude by Weissenberg

Wigmore Hall

Piano in 3 Tanzimprovisationen by Gieseking

Wigmore Hall

Piano in Play Piano Play "10 Pieces for Yuko" by Gulda

Wigmore Hall

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