PREVIEW: ASO takes audiences on a beautiful and bold journey this March
Photo of Francisco del Pino by David E. Warner
“I hope to resonate with the audience on a deeper, personal level, which is essential to me as a musician and communicator.”
The Albany Symphony Orchestra (ASO) ushers audiences out of the cold and into the warmth of beautiful, bold symphonies performed by masters of their craft. ASO will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 at The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Saturday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m., as well as the world premiere of Francisco del Pino's new orchestral work, Ritual, and Anton Bruckner's powerful Symphony No. 7 for two unforgettable days of music.
“We are so excited to perform this incredibly powerful, deeply spiritual concert in the perfect acoustics of the legendary Troy Savings Bank Music Hall,” says Music Director David Alan Miller. “Listeners are going to be completely charmed by Anwen Deng, who plays Beethoven’s amazing Fourth Piano Concerto so brilliantly.”
Sixteen-year-old Anwen Deng from Brisbane, Australia, has been playing the piano since she was three years old and was accepted into Juilliard's pre-college program at the age of six. Her already illustrious career has taken her all over the world, and she is eager to share her creativity and versatility as a pianist with the Capital Region audience.
“I am truly excited to perform with the Albany Symphony because it is an opportunity to collaborate with musicians who bring such energy, artistry, and commitment to every performance. I am also very grateful to be working again with Maestro Miller, whom I have had the pleasure of collaborating with before,” says Deng.
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 is a highlighted aspect of the program, unique as being one of the most innovative concertos in the history of the genre. Premiered in 1808 with Beethoven himself as soloist, the concerto opens with the piano alone, a quiet and melodic exploration of the instrument.
“Performing Piano Concerto No. 4 is especially meaningful to me for its vivid storytelling through lyricism, introspection, and the beautiful dialogue between the piano and orchestra,” adds Deng. “Through it, I hope to resonate with the audience on a deeper, personal level, which is essential to me as a musician and communicator.”
The program will also feature the world premiere of Francisco del Pino’s Ritual, a newly commissioned orchestral work conceived as a contemporary response to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. Del Pino reimagines the orchestra as a giant organ, drawing on sustained harmonic fields, cascading arpeggios, and resonant textures that evoke both immensity and stillness.
“In Ritual, I am trying to go a bit beyond orchestration and think of the orchestra as one giant instrument,” says del Pino. “The music is at times tender, at times brutal, and at times both at once. It is written as a response to Bruckner, and I can’t wait to hear this dialogue come alive on stage.”
Francisco del Pino is an Argentine composer and guitarist whose music is known for its meticulous craftsmanship, expressivity, and resonance. His work combines classical and modern traditions and has been performed internationally, including by the ASO’s Dogs of Desire, the orchestra’s genre-bending new music ensemble that showcases today’s most daring composers.
“I am excited to be heading back to Albany for the premiere of my piece, Ritual. This is my third collaboration with David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony musicians, but my first time working with the orchestra itself, an honor I’m deeply grateful for,” del Pino says.
The concert concludes with Bruckner's Symphony No. 7, one of the most radiant symphonies of the late Romantic Era. “Francisco del Pino’s new work engages directly with the vast architectural language of Anton Bruckner, whose Seventh Symphony remains one of the most awe-inspiring symphonies of the 19th century,” says Miller.
Composed in the 1880s, the work is renowned for its soaring melodies, glowing orchestration, and its famed Adagio. Across all of its four movements, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 creates a musical landscape that has remained timelessly iconic.
“Hearing that mystical masterpiece in Troy will be a life-changing experience, I promise! Together, these works invite listeners not just to hear music but to live the sound itself. We hope everyone will join us on this extraordinary musical journey.”
For more information, visit albanysymphony.com or call the Box Office at 518-694-3300.