Beethoven’s Fifth with the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Experience classical music’s most iconic four opening notes in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the direction of conductor Alexander Shelley. Known for its powerful themes of triumph over adversity, Beethoven’s Fifth remains one of the most celebrated works in symphonic music. In a delicate delight, pianist Yeol Eum Son performs Mozart’s expressive Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482, and Listening Underwater, a new work by Canadian composer Keiko Devaux, adds an element of contemporary exploration to the program.
Program
Keiko Devaux
Listening Underwater
National Arts Centre Orchestra Carrefour Commission
Mozart
: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482
Intermission
Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
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Performers
Alexander Shelley
Yeol Eum Son
Alexander Shelley is Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) and Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Shelley was recently appointed as Artistic and Music Director of Artis—Naples in Florida, which, beginning in the 2024/25 season, will see him provide artistic leadership for Naples Philharmonic, as well as for the entire multidisciplinary arts organization.
He is also Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s ECHO- and Deutsche Gründerpreis–winning “Zukunftslabor”. In August 2017 Shelley concluded his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker, a position he held since September 2009.
Unanimous winner of the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition, he has since worked regularly with the leading orchestras of Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, NDR Orchester Hannover, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Gothenburg Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Milwaukee, Melbourne, and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras.
Shelley’s operatic engagements have included The Merry Widow and Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet (Den Kongelige Opera); La bohème (Opera Lyra/National Arts Centre); Iolanta (Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen); Così fan tutte (Opéra national de Montpellier); and The Marriage of Figaro (Opera North) in 2015. In 2017 he led a co-production of Harry Somers’s Louis Riel with the NACO and Canadian Opera Company.
Pianist Yeol Eum Son, born in South Korea in 1986, is renowned for her exceptional artistry and captivating performances. From a young age, she displayed remarkable talent, beginning piano lessons at just three-and-a-half years old.
Son has captivated audiences worldwide with her boundless artistic exploration and profound musicality, establishing herself as one of the foremost pianists of her generation.
Son’s playing is marked by its poetic elegance and nuanced expressiveness, and she possesses a gift for conveying dramatic contrasts. Her artistry is underpinned by breathtaking technical prowess and a deep emotional connection to the music she interprets. She possesses an insatiable curiosity that drives her to explore a diverse range of musical genres and styles, always striving to reveal the pure essence of each piece.
Her extensive repertoire spans from classical masterpieces by composers such as Bach and Mozart to contemporary works by Shchedrin and Kapustin, chosen for their quality and depth. Son is highly sought after as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician, earning critical acclaim for her intelligent interpretations.
Throughout the 2022/23 season, Son served as an Artist-in-Residence with the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, performing works by Mozart, Gershwin, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel. She made impressive début appearances with renowned orchestras worldwide, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Her international reach extends to collaborations with esteemed orchestras like the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, BBC Philharmonic, and Budapest Festival Orchestra. Son’s discography features a range of remarkable recordings, including Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas—hailed as Classic FM’s Album of the Week in March 2023—and works by Berg, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Ravel, and Schumann.