Grieg, Rachmaninoff & A World Premiere

Celebrate fearless Yannick Nezet-Seguin's seventh season as artistic director and intrepid leader of the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as tenth anniversary of the start of his musical relationship with the city, during the ensemble's Opening Weekend concert performances. The electrifying program opens with the world premiere of Liar, a companion orchestral suite timed to coincide with the Metropolitan Opera's US debut of Nico Muhly's critically acclaimed opera Marnie.

This is followed by Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto, undoubtedly the star piece of the evening. Written when the composer was just 25 years old, the stirring work proved an impressive first attempt at writing for orchestra, becoming an instant success thanks to its anthemic movements and exquisite adagio. The program keeps up the pace to the very end, closing with Rachmaninoff's last ever work Symphonic Dances. Completed just three years before his death, the orchestral suite in three movements reflects the intricate, shifting harmonies of the composer's later style.