Under the baton of Artist-in-Residence Jaap van Zweden, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (ESO) continues its mission to bring high-caliber classical music performances to audiences across Taiwan’s urban and rural communities.
On June 27 and 28, ESO and Maestro van Zweden will join forces with acclaimed pianist Arsenii Moon for two concerts, “ESO 2025 – Jaap van Zweden & Arsenii Moon,” in Hsinchu City and Keelung City. Part of the ESO 2025 Maestro’s Selections concert series, the program juxtaposes two emotionally compelling masterpieces from different eras: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan.”
The concert opens with Mozart’s profound and dramatically charged Piano Concerto No. 24, one of only two concertos he composed in a minor key. Known for its emotional depth and somber tone, the piece stands apart from Mozart’s typically bright and lyrical style.
This performance will feature rising star Arsenii Moon, winner of the first prize at the 64th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in 2023. Moon also received the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Award, the competition’s highest honor, awarded unanimously by the jury for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Muzlife Magazine wrote, “Arsenii's greatest strength is his brilliant and fine technique, full of nuances, combined with an aristocratic elegance.”
In the second half, Maestro van Zweden—renowned for his compelling interpretations of Mahler—will return to the podium to lead the ESO in Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.” Originally conceived as a tone poem in symphonic form, the work was inspired by the novel Titan by early German Romantic writer Jean Paul.
As Mahler famously said, “A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything.” He realized this vision in “Titan,” blending Romantic lyricism with vivid natural imagery to depict, in his words, “a strong, heroic man, his life and sufferings, his battles and defeat at the hands of Fate.”
The symphony underwent years of revision and refinement, ultimately affirming Mahler’s compositional mastery and marking a pivotal step in his evolution as a symphonic visionary.
Van Zweden has earned critical acclaim for balancing precision and emotional resonance in his Mahler performances during his tenures as music director of the New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Music lovers are warmly invited to attend “ESO 2025 – Jaap van Zweden & Arsenii Moon” on Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hsinchu City Performance Hall, and Saturday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Keelung Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available online via OPENTIX. For more information on the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and its concert series, please visit the ESO website.
