Listen: Alumnus Brian Hong (violin) performs with AYP (January 2020)
Molly Schranck
Check out recordings from our January AYP concert with AYPO Alumnus, Brian Hong! He performed Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Op. 47 with the American Youth Philharmonic as a guest soloist, followed by an expressive encore performance of Variations on Amazing Grace (arranged by Ning Kam).
A snippet from our interview with Brian:
Q: What is your favorite thing about performing Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Op. 47?
A: Jean Sibelius treats the violin and orchestra differently than any other composer to my ears. Both the solo and orchestral lines intertwine and emerge from one another as a single, organic musical mass that glows with a beautifully expansive Nordic tonal palette. This piece is an exhausting emotional journey, from the frosty and angsty first movement, to the deep love poem of the second, and the triumphant, galloping heroism of the third.