2023 02 15 Pletnev’s Rachmaninoff – 150 years since the birth of Sergei Rachmaninoff

Russian music—and Rachmaninoff's oeuvre in particular—often combines a veneer of sober cerebrality with a core of unstoppable, fervent passion. Few musicians have managed to convey this unique duality as successfully as the pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, whose refined taste and flawless virtuosity make him one of the most ideal performers of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody. In the second half of the programme, Loukas Karytinos leads a performance of Richard Strauss's colossal tone poem, in which the composer employs exuberant orchestral timbres to wrestle with... himself, his dreams, his conflicts and his triumphs!