Ralph van Raat

Credits: Ralph van Raat, piano ; Philzuid ; Martijn Dendievel conductor. Program: Borodin, In the Steppes of Central Asia ; Karen Tanaka Techno Etudes IV, for piano and orchestra (world premiere) ; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 1. Japanese composer Karen Tanaka has written a piano concerto for master pianist Ralph van Raat, and the world premiere is tonight – need we say more? Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history. It comes as no surprise that Ralph van Raat will be performing the work: not only is he a tireless ambassador of new music, but Tanaka also dedicated the second set of her popular Techno Etudes to him. The orchestra is Philzuid, which previously performed the world premiere of Hawar Tafiq’s Bosch Requiem in the Muziekgebouw. Tanaka, a student of the great Luciano Berio and Tristan Murail, is writing her first piano concerto at the behest of the Muziekgebouw and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Her music is often inspired by her love of nature and her concern for the climate. The programme concludes with two Russian classics: Borodin’s symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony – his best, according to the composer himself.