
Romantic Rachmaninoff

Romantic Rachmaninoff
Thursday, May 12, 2016 - Sunday, May 15, 2016
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 3pm
Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Featuring
Emil de Cou conductor
Alex Slobodyanik, piano
(by arrangement with Price Rubin & Partners)
Wrote Sergei Rachmaninoff, “I try to make my music speak simply and directly, that which is in my heart.” The public was already familiar with Rachmaninoff’s second and third piano concertos before he revised his first, begun at age 18. Using an acquired knowledge of harmony, orchestration, piano technique and musical form, he transformed it into a spirited work that maintains its youthful freshness. Rachmaninoff’s second symphony combines the intense emotions of opera with the luscious sounds of a full symphony orchestra. Although written more than 100 years ago, its sweeping melodies still speak to the hearts of audiences today (pop singer Eric Carmen even borrowed the melody for his hit, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again!”).
Please join us for a pre-concert talk one hour prior to curtain each day.
The return of Casey’s Classics
Recommended recordings for your listening pleasure!
Curious about what you will be hearing on the concert program, or want to hear more? Coleman Casey, HSO’s dear friend, Director Emeritus and beloved in-house audiophile, offers the following recommendations for recordings of selections featured on our upcoming Masterworks Concert:
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 receives an aristocratic performance from Krystian Zimerman and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ozawa (DG).
The same composer’s Symphony No. 2 gets the outing of its life in a lush romantic performance from the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Genady Roshdestvensky in digital sound of remarkable amplitude (ALTO).