Beethoven’s “Imperial” Concerto no. 5 ^2024-2025

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years on the international scene. He is praised not only for his powerful virtuosity and deeply expressive approach, but also for his charismatic stage presence and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image. Mr. Trpčeski performs frequently as a soloist with major North American and European orchestras and also appears regularly in Australia and Asia. An acclaimed recitalist, he has given solo recitals at many major international venues, and he is especially enthusiastic about his chamber music project MAKEDONISSIMO, devised with Macedonian composer Pande Shahov, and which celebrates the music and culture of his native country. A prolific recording artist, Mr. Trpčeski has recorded for EMI Classics, Avie Records, Onyx Classics, and Wigmore Hall Live. He has recorded for Linn Records since 2020, his most recent recording featuring variations by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms. 

Vasily Petrenko is Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra following his hugely acclaimed fifteen–year tenure as their Chief Conductor from 2006 to 2021. Born in 1976 and educated at the Boys’ Music School of the St. Petersburg Capella—Russia’s oldest music school—and the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Vasily Petrenko has worked with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, opera houses and festivals including the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, and the San Francisco, Boston and Chicago Symphonies, the BBC Proms, the Opéra de Paris, Glyndebourne, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Metropolitan Opera New York. Recently, he made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.