MSO guest pianist Cuellar goes to ‘Epic Heights’ with Rach 3
Powerhouse pieces by Rachmaninoff, Sibelius set stage for a big finish
Jackson, Mississippi — The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra wraps its 80th anniversary season Bravo Series with a climactic concert starting with audience favorite Scott Cuellar at the piano on Rachmaninoff’s demanding Piano Concerto No. 3 and wrapping with Sibelius’ triumphant Symphony No. 5. MSO’s “Epic Heights” concert is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Madison Central High Auditorium in Madison.
MSO’s flagship Bravo Series, presented by the Selby & Richard McRae Foundation, offers the full orchestra experience with the thrilling grandeur of time-honored masterworks.
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s notoriously difficult Piano Concerto No. 3 provides a stunning showcase for Cuellar in his third guest artist appearance in three straight seasons with MSO.
The work is a titan, ranking among the biggest piano concertos ever. “It’s literally big because Rachmaninoff’s hands were famously humongous,” Maestro Crafton Beck said of the Russian composer who was also a virtuoso pianist. “He wrote that concerto for himself, and nobody else has the hand span that he had.” Over the past century, pianists have found ways to play those huge chords he wrote. Another huge component: the sheer stamina required to perform it, by leaning into the piano and powerfully playing it for more than 40 minutes straight.
Cuellar, who teaches applied piano in Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music and gives solo recitals at major venues around the world, called this lush, emotionally intense concerto “the Mount Everest of pieces.” Cuellar devoted himself to learning it as a pandemic project and this concert marks his first opportunity to perform it with an orchestra.
Jean Sibelius’ fresh, evocative and enduring Symphony No. 5 commands the evening’s second half. “It’s just Sibelius at his best,” Beck said, praising the elegance and unique color that is the composer’s own.
Individual tickets for the “Epic Heights” concert are $43 general admission for adults, and $5 for students, kindergarten through college (with valid student ID). Visit msorchestra.com for ticket orders and concert details.
The venue box office will open at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the concert. Season ticket holders with Conductor, Connoisseur, and Loge reservations will enjoy reserved seating at the new venue. Please see the box office or an usher for assistance upon arrival. All other seats are general admission and are first-come, first-seated.
MSO is supported in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
What: Epic Heights, MSO Bravo Series concert
Who: Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
When: 7:30 p.m. April 12, 2025
Where: Madison Central High School Auditorium 1417 Highland Colony Parkway, Madison, MS