Thomas Søndergård

After being evacuated to an artists’ retreat during the height of World War II, Prokofiev dove deep into writing what would become his most popular symphony. The Fifth is rich and expansive, and in the composer’s words, “[sings] the praises of the free and happy human being—of such a person’s strength, generosity and purity of soul.” Søndergård kicks the night off with Coleridge-Taylor’s suave Ballade alongside a stellar performance of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Kirill Gerstein, the pianist who embodies “the kind of serious, intelligent, and virtuosic music-making that keeps classical music alive” (The Observer).