Conductor: Marek Janowski Featuring: Nikolai Lugansky – piano Beethoven: Egmont Overture, op. 84 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op. 58 Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major, op. 90 The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is one of the most distinguished American symphonic ensembles, and was formed in 1895, giving its first concert the following year. It made its first record in 1941 with Hungarian conductor Fritz Reiner who from 1939 was music director for a decade. From 1948 to 1952, the orchestra was run by a series of guest conductors including Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski. Between 1976 and 1984 André Previn took up the reins and from 1988 to 1996 it was the turn of Lorin Maazel. Interestingly, during this period a film “cross-over” recording with conductor John Williams and violinist Itzhak Perlman actually entered and led the Billboard charts. In 2004, the PSO was the first American ensemble to play before the Pope, with conductor Sir Gilbert Levine. Today, the orchestra is overseen by a triumvirate: artistic advisor Sir Andrew Davis, principal guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier and Endowed Guest Conductor Marek Janowksi. He was born in Warsaw of German parents in 1939 and became famous following his fifteen year tenure starting in 1984 with the French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2005 he has been the music director of the august Suisse Romande Orchestra but has conducted numerous leading ensembles all over the world. Born in Moscow in 1972, Nikolai Lugansky is one of the leading exponents of the Russian piano school, and the winner of numerous important competition prizes. His records have been showered with awards, including accounts of all Rachmaninov’s concertos, Chopin’s studies and works by Beethoven and Prokofiev.

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