Masterworks 1

Featuring George Li, piano

Charles Ives creates an unmistakably American soundscape in Central Park in the Dark, where stillness and distant activity unfold simultaneously in a vivid portrait of nighttime in New York City. At the center of the program, Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 stands as a monumental work, symphonic in scope and deeply personal in expression. Written at a pivotal moment in his career, it reveals a composer shaping his voice on a grand scale. Elgar’s Enigma Variations closes the program with warmth, mystery, and humanity. Each variation offers a musical portrait from the composer’s circle, culminating in the beloved “Nimrod,” a moment of profound emotional depth that lingers long after the final note.