National Symphony Orchestra: Christoph Eschenbach, conductor: Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano, plays Liszt / Works by Brahms & Picker

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who plays with "classical refinement and cool beauty" (The New York Times), returns for Liszt's Second Piano Concerto, a work of rhapsodic sweep cast in a single movement. A stunning illustration of sustained virtuosity, this beloved Romantic masterpiece shines with blazing marches, climactic glissandos, and piano arabesques.

Brahms's heroic Third Symphony pulses with dramatic fire, yet all four of its movements end with a quiet, gentle beauty. Perhaps the most personal of his symphonies, the work has the maxim "free but happy" encoded into its notes. It has also inspired the music of several artists beyond the classical world, from Frank Sinatra to Carlos Santana. 

Music Director Christoph Eschenbach also conducts three of Brahms's Hungarian Dances, plus the world premiere of Tobias Picker's Opera without Words, a concerto for orchestra.

NOTE: THE FRIDAY PERFORMANCE IS A COFFEE CONCERT
Beginning with the 2015-2016 season, the NSO is offering four of its standard classical Friday programs as "Coffee Concerts" that begin at 11:30 a.m. These concerts are perfectly timed so that you don't need to worry about rush hour traffic, both arriving and leaving.

Preceding each Coffee Concert, a la carte breakfast items will be available for purchase in the KC Café from 10 to 11:15 a.m. The menu will consist of:
- Assorted muffins, scones, and croissants 
- Bagels, cream cheese, butter, and jam
- Freshly cut fruit
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
- Coffee and tea

Performance Timing: Part One - 50 min.; Intermission - 15 min.; Part Two - 50 min.

AfterWords: Thu., Mar. 10 performance followed by a free discussion with the artists and NSO Director of Artistic Planning Nigel Boon.

Note: Jean-Yves Thibaudet will sign CDs in the Grand Foyer outside of the Concert Hall, following the performances on Fri., Mar. 11 at 11:30 a.m. and Sat., Mar. 12 at 8 p.m.