TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Works by Johannes Brahms and Jean Sibelius will open the second half of the National Symphony Orchestra’s 2025–26 season, bringing together two composers whose music reflects the evolving emotional scope of Romantic orchestral writing.

Japanese pianist Sorita Kyohei will perform with conductor David Danzmayr and the orchestra on Sunday. The program pairs Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15” with Sibelius’ “Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39,” according to a National Symphony Orchestra press release.

Brahms began composing his first piano concerto in 1854 during a turbulent period in his life. His mentor Robert Schumann suffered a mental breakdown, while Schumann’s wife, pianist Clara Schumann — also a close friend of Brahms — struggled through the crisis.

Sorita said the concerto confronts human struggle with striking honesty, reflecting a young composer grappling with profound emotional weight. “The ‘soul’ I hear in this work is a resolve to face life truthfully,” he said. “Brahms wrote it at a very young age, yet it already reveals remarkable emotional depth.”

Danzmayr said pairing Brahms with Sibelius creates a compelling musical contrast. Sibelius' “First Symphony,”written during a period of political unrest in Finland, carries the sweeping tone of a national epic.

While Brahms brought Romantic lyricism into a classical structure shaped by his admiration for Ludwig van Beethoven, Sibelius expanded that emotional intensity in his work, pushing the symphonic tradition beyond the boundaries of Romantic conventions.

Sorita will also give a solo recital Wednesday featuring works by Brahms and Frederic Chopin. The program includes Chopin’s “Four Scherzos” and Brahms’ “Piano Sonata No. 3,” along with the composer’s late chorale prelude, offering a broader view of Sorita’s musical interpretation.

Sorita said Taiwan holds a special place for him and that the sincerity of local audiences creates an unspoken connection between stage and hall. He said that connection mirrors his evolving artistic path, which in recent years has seen him take on roles as pianist, conductor, and founder of the Japan National Orchestra.

He said the shift in perspective has given his playing a broader, more symphonic outlook. Audiences in Taiwan may notice that his performances now feel more “complete,” reflecting his ongoing exploration of what it means to be an artist.