The Concertgebouw Orchestra plays Rachmaninoff

About the Event

Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev joins the Concertgebouw Orchestra once more, presenting mesmerizing late pieces by Rachmaninoff and compositions by Elena Langer. Pianist Alexander Melnikov will channel Rachmaninoff's spirit as he performs the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the ensemble.

Rachmaninoff
Honoring Serge Rachmaninoff suits these two Russian émigrés perfectly. Though Rachmaninoff’s move to America disconnected him from his Russian heritage, his music remained distinctively Russian Romantic, unaffected by contemporary American influences. Interestingly, he crafted some of his most captivating works in the U.S. We also explore pieces by Elena Langer, who relocated from Russia to London and carved a niche as an opera composer, featuring the suite from her acclaimed 2016 opera Figaro Gets a Divorce.

Alexander Melnikov
Rachmaninoff's dazzling and sophisticated Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini actually resembles a piano concerto. Its catchy main theme recurs frequently, each time freshly reimagined. Rachmaninoff himself played this piece with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1908, receiving immense praise. Continuing this legacy is a role aptly suited to pianist Alexander Melnikov. In the Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninoff, in his later years, reflects on his artistic journey, nodding to Russian church music from his past and the big‐band tunes encountered in America.