April 2, 2024 | Rachmaninoff Concert Hall (Philharmonia-2)
Soloists: Ekaterina Mechetina, piano
Alexander Ghindin, piano
Ivan Bessonov, piano
Conductor – Arsenty Tkachenko
Rachmaninoff. Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra in D minor, Op. 30
Concrrto No. 1 for piano and orchestra in C-sharp minor, Op. 1 (1st edition)
«Rhapsody in a theme of Paganini» for piano and orchestra, Op. 43
On April 2, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia will present a program devoted solely to the art of Sergei Rachmaninoff. The concert, called “Rachmaninoff Days|”, follows the steps of the mini-festival of the same name, first taking place in April 2016 and starting a good tradition – a musical offering to the great composer's birthday (he was born on April 1, 1873) in the Hall bearing his name.
Arsenty Tkachenko will conduct the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia in the current concert. The stage will be shared with three renowned pianists – Ekaterina Mechetina, Alexander Ghindin and Ivan Bessonov.
Three popular concertante works by Rachmaninoff will be played, that is the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (24 variations of Paganini's Caprice No. 24 for solo violin), the First Piano Concerto in an early edition (unlike many other pianists, Alexander Ghindin prefers this one) and the Third Concerto – an opus of transcendent complexity.
The NPR celebrates Rachmaninoff's birthday each year as for Vladimir Spivakov, the artistic director of the Orchestra, he is the most loved and most often performed author. Long ago, the maestro included the music of the great Russian composer into the permanent repertoire of the orchestra and, recently, also into a wide program of albums, having recorded with the NPR his own interpretations of all Rachmaninoff's Symphonies, Piano Concertos and other masterpieces (such as the Three Russian Songs, the Spring Cantata, the Bells Poem, Symphonic Dances). The Best of Rachmaninoff recording series was issued by the orchestra to the composer's 150th birthday and is available on popular streaming sites.