Storgårds, Saint-Saëns & Thibaudet

Written in Cairo during a winter holiday, Camille Saint-Saëns’s final concerto for solo piano and orchestra, “The Egyptian,” finds the composer reflecting on a lifetime of travel adventures—not only in North Africa, but across the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Described by Saint-Saëns as a “sea voyage,” this concerto and its dazzling pianistic fireworks will be sure to spark your imagination in the hands of Southam Hall favourite Jean-Yves Thibaudet, a pianist who brings “loving finesse and exquisite detail” (Seattle Times) to every performance.

And in his final symphony, Franz Joseph Haydn honours the English capital that welcomed him as the “greatest composer in the world” when he first visited in 1791. From its stern and stormy introduction, Haydn’s “London” Symphony blossoms into an exhilarating musical odyssey filled with jaunty dances, charming melodies, and plenty of the composer’s signature humour.