Susanna Mälkki returns to the New York Philharmonic to conduct Unsuk Chin’s Šu, for Sheng and Orchestra, with sheng virtuoso Wu Wei as soloist, as well as Haydn’s extraordinary Symphony No. 22, Philosopher and Strauss’ iconic Also sprach Zarathustra, on October 18, 19, & 22 at David Geffen Hall. Composer Unsuk Chin, who was awarded The Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the NY Phil in 2018, associates the sheng, an ancient Chinese mouth organ, with “yearning for a distant sound.”
Ms. Mälkki conducted the Swedish and Portuguese premieres of Šu with Mr. Wu as soloist in 2013 and 2014, respectively. She made her acclaimed New York Philharmonic debut in 2015 with The New York Times describing her performance as “probing, audacious … ebullient and imaginative.”
An Insights at the Atrium event “Yearning for a Distant Sound: Šu for Sheng and Orchestra” will take place Wednesday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Unsuk Chin, Susanna Mälkki, and Wu Wei will discuss Ms. Chin’s Šu, which has become one of Mr. Wu’s signature works, in conversation with Philharmonic President and CEO Deborah Borda. The NY Phil will offer an allotment of free tickets to young people ages 13–26 for the concert on Friday, October 18, as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays.