When we say “Rach 2” we’re talking about the one of the most popular concertos in the Romantic tradition. Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto combines a rich and rhapsodic vision with astonishing virtuosity.
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Rachmaninoff was the last of the great Romantic composer-pianists, and the music he wrote for himself to play marries supreme virtuosity and impeccable style to a gift for rhapsodic melodies and richly imagined harmonies. There are no piano concertos quite like Rachmaninoff’s, and Bernd Glemser will bring to the second concerto the grandeur and distinction it demands.
But don’t let this popular concerto distract you from the frame in which it sits. Shostakovich’s intriguing symphony is like a toy shop, with a riot of clever quotations from other composers – and himself! We’re playing it first so we can leave you with the strangely familiar conclusion of Rossini’s William Tell overture galloping through your ears.
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.15
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.2
ROSSINI William Tell: Overture
Mark Wigglesworth conductor
Bernd Glemser piano
AUDIO PLAYER LISTING
Tracks 1 and 2 – RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.2
Alicia de Larrocha, piano, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit
DECCA 476 7701
Track 3 – SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.15
Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georg Solti
DECCA 442 8235
Track 4 – ROSSINI William Tell Overture
Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta
DECCA 476 9907
Audio kindly supplied by Universal Music
Currently available for purchase:
Shostakovich
Rossini