Eun Sun Kim leads the New York Philharmonic in the local premiere of Anders Hillborg’s “MAX Concerto,” written for Emanuel Ax as soloist. Photo by Brandon Patoc.
In Friday’s (2/23) New York Times, Joshua Barone writes, “Anders Hillborg’s second piano concerto, ‘The MAX Concerto’ … had its local premiere with the New York Philharmonic on Thursday…. First performed in October [by the San Francisco Symphony], the concerto acknowledges the lineage of its genre with playfulness and reverence, and showcases Emanuel Ax, the soloist for whom it was written, by matching and pushing his brand of modest, underrated virtuosity. Likable without being eager to please, thrilling without shameless dazzle, it is, like Ax, enjoyable simply because it’s excellent. And, crucially, Hillborg’s concerto works regardless of how familiar a listener is with his music, or any classical music for that matter. You could be aware of the piece’s form—its nine evocatively titled sections, performed as a single, 21-minute movement—or smile at ‘MAX,’ a contraction of ‘Manny Ax.’… Or you could just sit back and sense, intuitively, the genial majesty and pleasure coursing through it all…. While ‘The MAX Concerto’ is difficult—the solo part uses nearly all of the keyboard and demands cool precision—it also unfurls with graceful restraint.” Conductor Eun Sun Kim made her Philharmonic debut leading the concert, which included works by Sibelius and Rachmaninoff.
