NSOI: Jonathan Biss plays Mozart Concerto No. 17

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
Peter Whelan conductor
Jonathan Biss piano 

Haydn Symphony No. 22, ‘The Philosopher’
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17
Mozart Symphony No. 41, ‘Jupiter’

Join us for an evening celebrating the masters of the Classical era. Grammy-nominated pianist and author Jonathan Biss returns to the National Concert Hall after his acclaimed 2025 appearance to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, one of the composer’s most beloved works from his Viennese years, notable for its refined intimacy. Praised by The New Yorker for his “impeccable taste and formidable technique,” Biss is admired for bringing out the eloquence, wit, and gentle soulfulness of Mozart’s music, making him a compelling interpreter of this repertoire.

The concert opens with Haydn’s Symphony No. 22, ‘The Philosopher’. It’s unusual scoring and contemplative character are immediately apparent in the opening dialogue between the horns and the cor anglais. This exchange, reminiscent of a question-and-answer pattern, reflects the disputatio style of philosophical debate that inspired the symphony’s title.

The evening concludes with Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’. His final symphony stands as a pinnacle of the Classical era, its grandeur, energy, and dazzling contrapuntal finale bringing the night to a thrilling close.

Presented by NCH