Fully of sunny optimism, sarcastic wit and energetic piano playing, Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is considered by many to be the finest of his six piano concertos. Joyce Yang, Silver Medalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, is back to play the brilliant, melodic work that’s a staple of piano competitions. Returning to Phoenix for two separate programs this season, Katharina Wincor, a former assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony and Detroit Symphony, leads the Phoenix Symphony in Dmitri Shostakovich’s jubilant “Festive Overture” and in contemporary composer Lera Auerbach’s “Icarus,” inspired by the ancient Greek tale of the winged boy who flew too close to the sun. Originally a one-act ballet telling a brutal tale, Béla Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin,” with its intense rhythmic energy and maniacal, folk-inspired melodies, is an exhilarating horror score for the concert hall. “(Joyce Yang’s) attention to detail and clarity is as impressive as her agility, balance and velocity.” – Washington Post