An evening with Lyu Shao-chia and Kit Armstrong

This coming Friday, pianist Kit Armstrong will join the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) under the baton of Lyu Shao-chia to present three masterpieces: Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn,” Schumann’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor,” and “Symphony No. 2 in C Major.”

A poster for the "Romantic Masterpieces" concert on June 13. Photos courtesy of SZSO

Composed in 1873, Brahms’ variations are celebrated as his first orchestral masterpiece. While studying Haydn’s music, he encountered a melody known as the “St. Anthony Chorale,” which became the foundation of his work. 

The piece opens with a stately theme, unfolding through eight richly varied transformations before culminating in a grand, passacaglia-like finale, where the original melody returns with explosive force. To this day, it remains a staple of the orchestral repertoire.

Schumann’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor,” completed in 1845 during the happiest period of his life, is often called the “Love Concerto” — a lyrical tribute to his wife, Clara. This three-movement work brims with vivid themes that reflect Schumann’s artistic ideals and personal convictions.

Clara was not only the concerto’s muse but also its finest interpreter. Quickly becoming one of Schumann’s most-performed works, it rightfully claims its place among the greatest Romantic piano concertos after Beethoven.

Kit Armstrong.

Kit Armstrong’s interpretation promises to balance intellectual depth with poetic sensitivity. Since his debut on the international stage two decades ago, Armstrong has performed in major recital series, collaborated with leading orchestras, and forged artistic partnerships with renowned instrumentalists and vocalists. 

Schumann began sketching his “Symphony No. 2” in December 1845 in a surge of inspiration, completing a piano draft in just over two weeks. 

Yet the painstaking process of orchestration, begun the following February, was interrupted by Schumann's bouts of depression and failing health. Finished in October 1846, the symphony premiered that November at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus under Mendelssohn’s baton.

What emerges from this music is not suffering but resilience; not illness, but strength. Written predominantly in the radiant key of C major, its optimistic spirit affirms the power of perseverance, opening with a simple fanfare that steadily builds in energy. 

The scherzo dances with rhapsodic abandon, as if wrestling with Schumann’s inner demons. The slow movement’s most poignant moment features an oboe-and-strings dialogue — a melody Schumann called the “melancholic bassoon,” paying homage to Schubert’s “Ninth Symphony.” 

The finale merges march and chorale into a visionary soundscape. While modern audiences marvel at Mahler’s symphonic expanses, it was Schumann in 1846 who first expanded the symphony into an epic vessel for the soul’s journey.

Lyu Shao-chia.

Taiwanese conductor Lyu Shao-chia, a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, cemented his reputation by winning top prizes at three major international competitions: Besançon (France), Pedrotti (Italy), and Kondrashin (the Netherlands). 

Acclaimed for his nuanced interpretations and masterful control, he has collaborated with leading orchestras and opera houses worldwide. As music director of the Taiwan Philharmonic from 2010 to 2020, he elevated the ensemble to world-class stature.

Tickets: 50-880 yuan

Time: 8 p.m., June 13

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D