“Even having seen it, one cannot quite believe it. Such is the artistry of pianist Daniil Trifonov,” marveled the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Trifonov has been wowing Aspen audiences with his mesmerizing concert performances and recitals for several seasons. He now brings his unique interpretive stamp to the Mozart concerto that pianist Alfred Brendel called “one of the great wonders of the world.”

There is certainly much to wonder about regarding the work’s nickname. Long known as the “jeunehomme” or “young man” concerto, the dedicatee was actually Jenamy, the daughter of the Paris Opera ballet master. Although this was discovered long ago, the misspelling still sticks. It made sense that Mozart lavished extreme care into this work for the daughter of his well-connected friend at a time when he was desperately seeking a position outside of Salzburg. The inclusion of a minuet in the last movement may have even been a nod to his dancer friend.

Opening the program is Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, a shimmering depiction of a lustful satyr’s attempted seduction of sleeping nymphs.

Joel Thompson, composer-in-residence at Houston Grand Opera and known for his acclaimed opera The Snowy Day, will be represented by a new work co-comissisoned by AMFS. His first orchestral piece, An Act of Resistance, powerfully and concisely expressed the battle between love and conflict, and was warmly received by the Aspen audience last summer.

Following the success of his first symphony, Schumann almost immediately produced a second one. As with many sequels, it didn’t fare as well. Mendelssohn told his friend that his orchestration was too pedestrian, and ten years later, Schumann reworked it, adding heavier orchestration and further unifying the movements as was his original intention. The improvements gave the symphony an intense forward momentum and cohesiveness, inviting the listener to imagine their own narrative as they listen to this passionate and intriguing work.

Hear the inaugural concert of this summer’s Aspen Chamber Symphony in this wide-ranging program!