The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is set to bring the complex, melancholic, and romantic sound trips of famed composer Sergei Rachmaninoff to the Esplanade Concert Hall this January.
Born in 1873, Rachmaninoff is best known for his feat as a piano virtuoso and a prominent personality of the Russian romanticism landscape. His musical works gained prominence in the 20th century after he sought refuge in the United States from the Russian Revolution. Also recognised for his tall stature as he stood at 1.98 metres tall, the renowned composer could play the interval of a thirteenth on the piano due to his large hands, spanning at least 12 inches.
On 18 and 19 January 2024, the SSO will perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3 and Symphony 3, under the direction of SSO’s Music Director Hans Graf and South Korean pianist Jae-Hyuck Cho.
Composed in 1909, the magnificent masterpiece, billed as the “music of a soul bared to its heart”, was written for his first concert as a soloist in New York. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 was later featured in a classic biographical film, Shine (1996), about the life of Australian pianist David Helfgott and highlights the composition as a leitmotif in his musical talent. This further proves the popularity of the composer’s craft during his time.
While his compositions may be seen as difficult to be performed by other pianists, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 will be enhanced by the phenomenal musical chemistry between Cho and Graf, whose recordings of the Rachmaninoff Concertos together are known to be a “marriage of fire and lyricism [that] is perfectly judged”.
The programme is scheduled for two parts – a Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. Op. 30 with Cho, followed by a Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44.
In his career as an acclaimed pianist, organist, and chamber musician, Cho has made appearances in venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow.
Prior to the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3 and Symphony 3, Graf will also be performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2 and Symphony 2 alongside American pianist Garrick Ohlsson at Esplanade Concert Hall. More information can be found here.
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2 and Symphony 2 will be held at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 12 and 13 January 2024 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available from SGD 15 via SSO’s official website.
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 3 and Symphony 3 will be held at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 18 and 19 January 2024 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available from SGD 15 via SSO’s official website.
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