Join two of today’s biggest names in classical music and the LSO at an intimate concert at one of their signature venues, St. Luke’s. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the LSO in a concert that reflects the times, with a socially distanced orchestra, with audience members seated above and around the sides. The concert starts with Copland’s Our Town Suite – the 1944 arrangement of his soundtrack written for Thornton Wilder’s film of the same name. This cinematic suite takes us to the community of Grover’s Corners (based on Peterborough in New Hampshire) and follows the romance between neighbours George and Emily. Following the Copland, world-acclaimed pianist, Yuja Wang, takes to the stage with Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto no. 2. A bold concerto to match Wang’s powerful, yet brilliant style, this performance is full of joy and energy, giving the soloist space to demonstrate their technical prowess. Composed for the 19th birthday of his son, Maxim, this piano concerto is one of Shostakovich’s most optimistic and hopeful works. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 2 in C minor draws comes from a time when Tchaikovsky was still finding his voice, and experimenting with extended structures and larger pieces. Featuring four distinct movements, this piece draws on melodies from three Ukranian folksongs, as Tchaikovsky wrote this piece while on summer holidays in Kamianka, in Ukraine. Michael Tilson Thomas is the Music Director Laureate of the San Fransisco Symphony, Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Artistic Director Laureate of the New Wold Symphony. Yuja Wang is a Beijing-born pianists, celebrated for her charismatic artistry and captivating stage presence. FEATURING: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS conductor YUJA WANG pianist PROGRAM: COPLAND Our Town SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto no. 2 in F major TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony no. 2