Gala concert—inauguration of the 19th International Chopin Competition

No fewer than four Chopin Competition winners return to Warsaw for a feast of luxurious pianism to mark the opening of the 19th Chopin Competition. Bruce Liu leads the charge with Camille Saint-Saëns's scintillating Piano Concerto No. 5 before Yulianna Avdeeva and Garrick Ohlsson perform Poulenc's brilliantly witty and playful Concerto for Two Pianos. And as a finale, all three pianists are joined by Dang Thai Son for another multi-piano masterpiece, Bach's Concerto for 4 Pianos. Accompaniment is provided by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrzej Boreyko, who kick off the evening in rousing style with a new orchestration of Chopin's Polonaise in A major.