THIS Friday evening, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will perform a concert to honor Johannes Brahms’ 190th birth anniversary under the baton of its artistic director Lin Daye. In the first half of the concert, violinist Huang Bin will headline the performance of Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77.” The three-movement concerto for violin and orchestra was meant to showcase the virtuosic talents of a longtime friend of Brahms, the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. Both men participated in its premiere, with the composer as conductor in Leipzig on Jan. 1, 1879. The work, known for its lyrical melodies and rich orchestration, melded the sense of grandeur present in Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto” and the flavor of the Hungarian folk rhythms of Joachim’s native land. The piece has long been a favorite of virtuoso violinists. Huang, a professor at the China Conservatory of Music, is one of the most outstanding Chinese violinists. She shot to fame at 14 when she won the Junior Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Lublin, Poland, sharing the first prize with Maxim Vengerov. She has maintained international prominence, winning both the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy, and the Munich (ARD) International Music Competition in Germany. Her live recording of the “Beethoven Violin Concerto” on Paganini’s own violin, the “Cannon,” released by Dynamic label (2013) is the only existing live recording captured with that legendary instrument. Her “Baroque Violin Favorites” released by Naxos (2003) was given the editor’s choice accolade in the American Record Guide. Huang’s performance of the only violin concerto by Brahms will be something not to be missed by classical music fans. The second half of the concert will feature “Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98,” the composer’s last symphony, of which the most important movement is the finale. Brahms took a simple theme he found in J.S. Bach’s “Cantata No. 150” and developed it in a set of 30 highly intricate variations, but the technical skill displayed is as nothing compared with the clarity of thought and the intensity of emotion. The work, also conducted by the composer at its premiere, had become a fan favorite at concerts during his lifetime and continues to be loved to this day. Time: 8 p.m., April 21 Tickets: 50-480 yuan Booking: WeChat account “深圳大劇院票務在線” Venue: Shenzhen Grand Theater (深圳大劇院) Metro: Line 1 or 2 to Grand Theater Station (大劇院站), Exit C(Li Dan) | 