FOR local fans, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra has prepared two grand and beautiful pieces at their first concert in the Year of the Dragon. This Friday evening, the orchestra will perform Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73” and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1 in D Major,” conducted by its artistic director Lin Daye. Italian pianist Filippo Gorini will be the soloist. Every portrait of Beethoven seems to drive home the impression that his compositions are tempestuous, brooding, and muscular. While that was certainly true, the masterful “Piano Concerto No. 5,” also known as “Emperor Concerto,” is proof of the tenderness and beauty that runs like a thread through the maestro’s music. At the time of writing this piece, Beethoven was very much straddling the divide between the Classical and Romantic periods. The work itself seems to be breaking out of conventional boundaries. The sheer length of the opening movement belies convention; the serene second movement flows directly into the finale; and the overt romance of the music looks ahead to a new period. At its premiere in Vienna in 1812, the soloist was Carl Czerny — a fine composer in his own right who studied under Beethoven. The work’s nickname derived from a comment made by one of Napoleon’s officers, who attended the premiere and reportedly exclaimed that the work was “an emperor of a concerto.” Mahler, a student of Anton Bruckner, was one of the great masters of the symphony, influenced by psychology, Wagner, and German folk culture. His nine symphonies are massive, multifaceted works which have challenged the forms, traditions, and capabilities of symphonic music. His inaugural symphony, titled “Titan,” takes its title from the namesake novel by Mahler’s favorite romantic writer, Jean Paul. The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra premiered the piece in 1889 under the baton of the composer himself. One of Mahler’s most beloved works today, it depicts the beauty of nature and people’s joy with nature’s bequest. Unlike other Mahler symphonies that incorporate vocal parts, “Titan” has none. It nevertheless has themes from his “Songs of a Wayfarer” that give the work a kind of vocal quality. The piece, with four movements performed in short of an hour, eloquently conveys the sentiments of a young man who has just started his life journey, depicting with lyrical beauty the youthful readiness to leap into the vibrant possibilities of life. Gorini, 28, received the Franco Abbiati Prize, the most prestigious musical recognition in Italy, in 2022, as well as the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2020. He was the first prizewinner at the Telekom-Beethoven Competition 2015. His three albums featuring late Beethoven and Bach works, released on Alpha Classics, have garnered critical acclaim, including a Diapason d’Or Award and five-star reviews on The Guardian and BBC Music Magazine, among others. Alongside his solo career, Gorini is a champion of chamber music who frequents the world’s most prestigious music festivals. He graduated with honors from the Donizetti Conservatory in Bergamo and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. Time: 8 p.m., March 1 Tickets: 50-880 yuan Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音樂廳) Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宮站), Exit E (Li Dan) | 