Composer

Frédéric Chopin and Sergei Rachmaninoff stand among the greatest poet-composers of the piano, each creating music of profound depth, beauty, and emotional power that continues to captivate audiences worldwide. In this program, pianist Michelle Yelin Nam brings these two towering figures into dialogue, interweaving their works to illuminate the striking affinities between them across time and culture.

EPSG:4326

Two Romantics: Dialogue between Chopin & Rachmaninoff | Michelle Yelin Nam, piano

Clayton State University

We are very grateful to Rustem Hayroudinoff for stepping in to perform this recital in place of Richard Goode, who has had to withdraw due to personal reasons.

Rustem Hayroudinoff

Wadham College

“The Journey Home” offers a personal reflection within our American Adventures season, shaped by conductor Leonard Slatkin’s own musical path and the works that have accompanied him along the way. Cindy McTee’s Circuits crackles with electric energy and brilliant orchestral interplay. Voyager 130, a piece written by Slatkin’s son, looks outward and inward at once, inspired by space exploration yet grounded in memory and connection. Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 was written after the composer’s emigration from Russia to America, and is the music of longing, resilience, and the profound pull of home. 

The Journey Home

Riverwalk Center

The festival is thrilled to present one of the most exciting emerging instrumental talents, Greek pianist Theodosia Ntokou, who has counted Martha Argerich as her mentor since 2009. Theodosia joins the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for all the fresh air, spontaneity and adventure of one of the central piano concertos of the literature, that by Edvard Grieg – followed here by Rachmaninov’s symphony of infernal whirlwinds, passionate declarations of love and heartfelt longing for peace.

Grieg Piano Concerto

University of Oxford

Close the season on the grand piano with pianist Stewart Goodyear taking center stage. Featuring Goodyear’s own genre-blending works—offering a sneak peek of an upcoming WCO recording—this program builds toward one of the most iconic pieces in American music: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Jazz-inflected, virtuosic, and unforgettable, it’s a piano marathon and a bold and satisfying sendoff to summer on the Square. Learn more about Stewart Goodyear.

Rhapsody Squared

Capitol Square

Johannes Moser, known for performances seasoned by his capacious imagination and poetic artistry, is joined by his regular duo partner Andrei Korobeinikov in a programme hallmarked by two fascinating pairings of works. Nadia Boulanger’s 3 pieces, composed in 1914, provide a playful introduction to the five contrasting movements of the Cello Sonata Britten wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich in 1961, while Rachaminov’s Vocalise makes a charming companion to the cello version of César Franck’s weighty Violin Sonata.

Johannes Moser cello; Andrei Korobeinikov piano

Wigmore Hall

Capturing the frenetic spirit of the 1930s and ’40s, conductor Kevin John Edusei leads a vibrant program that highlights Rachmaninoff’s fiery Symphonic Dances, his last major composition, which The Cleveland Orchestra plays side-by-side with the Kent Blossom Chamber Orchestra. The swirling Hungarian rhythms of Kodály’s Dances of Galánta open the evening before giving way to Martinů’s energetic First Cello Concerto, performed by Principal Cello Mark Kosower.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

Blossom Music Center

Few can match the dazzling brilliance and zen-like focus that Boris Giltburg brings to every performance. His latest Wigmore Hall recital would command attention for no other reason than its inclusion of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, a titanic monument of Romantic music. Yet the Moscow-born Israeli pianist places Liszt’s single-movement masterwork in company with a succession of musically powerful, technically-demanding compositions, crowned by Gaspard de la nuit, Ravel’s mesmerising suite of character pieces.

Boris Giltburg piano

Experience the rich lyricism of Rachmaninov and the vibrant spirit of African and American song in this captivating recital by soprano Nombulelo Yende – BBC Cardiff Singer of the World finalist – and pianist Mariusz Kłubczuk. A programme of emotional depth and cultural resonance awaits.

Nombulelo Yende soprano; Mariusz Kłubczuk piano

A work of audacious technical demands and lyrical beauty, Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto was composed when he was just 17. Longtime Cleveland Orchestra friend Garrick Ohlsson revisits this work that helped put Rachmaninoff on the map as a composer and performer. Conductor Semyon Bychkov bookends the program with Smetana’s love letter to his homeland and Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony, which bursts with optimism from the first note to the last. 

Ohlsson Plays Rachmaninoff

Severance Music Center

2025 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Aristo Sham brings his "lucid and gripping" artistry to the intimate Music Room for a program centered on the transformative transcriptions of Ferruccio Busoni. This afternoon recital highlights Sham’s technical mastery through a curated selection of Brahms character pieces, including the soulful Intermezzo in A Major and the spirited Capriccio in C Major. The second half of the performance focuses on Busoni's iconic arrangements, featuring the monumental Bach Chaconne and Chopin’s Variations on Prelude in C minor. As the newest Cliburn winner, Sham continues the competition's legacy of elite pianism with a performance that balances late-Romantic introspection with towering virtuosity.

Aristo Sham, piano

The Rosen House at Caramoor

Opening night of the Festival Orchestra Series highlights not one but two popular monuments of the orchestral canon, featuring pianist and 2021 Donald Runnicles Musical Arts Scholarship Competition winner Tanner Jorden.

Festival Orchestra: Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky’s Fifth

Jackson Hole High School

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look as Sir Donald Runnicles and the orchestra rehearse for the weekend Festival Orchestra concerts with pianist Tanner Jorden.

Open Rehearsal: Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky’s Fifth

A meeting of two  worlds: Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony, still deeply rooted in his Russian homeland, contrasts with the late Paganini Rhapsody – an American work whose title not coincidentally recalls Gershwin's famous Rhapsody in Blue. The program is sure to be full of musical aha! moments, reviving memories of Nézet-Séguin's acclaimed Rachmaninoff concerts at the Festspielhaus.

London Symphony Orchestra

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

Conductor Laureate Carlos Kalmar returns to the Festival with the technically brilliant pianist Olga Kern for Rachmaninov’s highly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3. The program also features Stravinsky’s mischievously charming ballet Game of Cards and Elgar’s sunny In the South.

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3

Millennium Park

Guest performance in Bad Kissingen | Kissinger Summer

Regentenbau

A lyrical evening of music, shining warm light on our vibrant WNO orchestral partnership, with members of WNO Orchestra joining the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra. Vaughan Williams' mesmerizing Oboe Concerto is a love letter to the English countryside; a virtuoso showpiece performed here by WNO’s Principal Oboe, Lucie Sprague.*

WNO Orchestra & RWCMD Symphony Orchestra 2026

Bute Park

Roman Borisov was First Prize-winner at both the Krainev Youth Competition 2019 and the Kissinger KlavierOlymp 2022. Now a seasoned concert performer living in Berlin, the young pianist presents a Wigmore Hall programme which includes a selection of Preludes from the 'ultramodernist' American composer and musicologist Ruth Crawford Seeger.

Roman Borisov

Jazz meets classical as pianist Makoto Ozone joins conductor Jun Märkl for Rachmaninoff’s spirited Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Ozone’s own O’Berek, and Schumann’s “Spring” Symphony complete a concert that features vivacity and charm.

Season Finale: Makoto Ozone plays Rachmaninoff

Hilbert Circle Theatre

For his guest appearance with his Hamburg colleagues, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Chief Conductor of the NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra from Hanover, has brought a program featuring three Slavic composers. Nikolai Lugansky, a renowned Rachmaninoff expert who has released a highly acclaimed complete recording of his piano concertos, will be at the piano.

GDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Nikolai Lugansky / Stanislav Kochanovsky

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Experience the sweeping grandeur of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, the perfect finale to a remarkable season of classical music. Rachmaninoff composed this triumphant work after overcoming one of the most famous cases of composer's block in music history.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Experience the sweeping grandeur of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, the perfect climax to a remarkable season of classical music. Rachmaninoff composed this triumphant work after overcoming one of the most famous cases of composer's block in music history.

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

10th Symphony Concert

Nikolaisaal

We conclude our Philharmonic Concert series with three sonic wonders and the great conductor Sebastian Weigle. As General Music Director of the Frankfurt Opera and the Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, ​​he has been crowned Conductor of the Year four times. He has performed brilliantly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Bayreuth Festival, and the Berlin State Opera. In addition to his engagements in Frankfurt and his numerous conducting engagements at the world's finest opera houses and concert halls, Sebastian Weigle has also been Chief Conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo since 2019.

10th Philharmonic Concert

Exhibition Hall 4

Superstar violinist Hilary Hahn returns with Mozart’s majestic Violin Concerto No. 5. Nicknamed the “Turkish” concerto, it contains a lively section meant to evoke an Ottoman military band. The season concludes with a flourish as Jader Bignamini leads the DSO in Rachmaninoff’s sumptuous Second Symphony, a work beloved for its rich orchestral textures and soaring melodies.

Hilary Hahn performs Mozart

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

End the season with a breathtaking blend of iconic energy, lyrical grace, and emotional depth. Rossini’s William Tell Overture sets the stage, followed by Mascagni’s tender Intermezzo and Boccherini’s virtuosic Cello Concerto. The evening culminates with the sweeping grandeur of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, the perfect climax to a remarkable season of classical music.

Rossini, Boccherini, Mascagni & Rachmaninoff

In her ESO debut, Harmony Zhu performs Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a set of 24 variations that is bursting with energy and passion from the first note.

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody

Winspear Centre

Qixuan Fan, piano

Northwestern Bienen School of Music

The last concert of the season brings us a reunion with an old friend. Sebastian Weigle, long-standing principal conductor and artistic director of the Museumskonzerte, returns to the podium of the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra for the first time since his retirement.

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra

Alte Oper

In his 2023 CSO subscription debut, Conrad Tao gave a “dazzling, staggering” performance of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, wrote the Chicago Tribune, in which Tao “carried his melodies masterfully.” As part of the CSO’s monthlong focus on American music, the Illinois native returns with a selection of Gershwin song arrangements interspersed with works by Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov, Schoenberg and Robert Schumann.

Conrad Tao

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Brothers Demarre and Anthony McGill give a world premiere by jazz piano icon Billy Childs reflecting on America's 250th. Rachmaninoff unapologetically captures the Russian musical spirit in his Symphony No. 3, while Shostakovich elicits a celebratory mood.

Rachmaninoff 3

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

The Music Center at Strathmore

Čajkovskij & Rachmaninov

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

Alexander Malofeev's debut was brilliant! The pianist stepped in for the ill Evgeny Kissin at a concert of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra - and the audience could hardly contain itself. The Frankfurt audience rewarded Malofeev's virtuoso playing with thunderous applause, not so much for its power as for its melody and transparency. It was high time for the 23-year-old to give a recital at the Alte Oper. Malofeev readily admits that he feels most at home alone on stage. He then gives an insight into his world of sound: "It's always my own space, even when hundreds of people are listening. I let them in. I like to create my own space. In the Mozart Hall, Malofeev creates a sound space that spans Scandinavia, France, Vienna and his Russian homeland: Characteristic pieces glowing in intense colours.

Alexander Malofeev, piano

The second concert of Music Director Matthias Pintscher’s Rachmaninoff celebration sees Yefim Bronfman, one of the greatest pianists of our time, tackling the composer’s Third Piano Concerto, widely viewed as one of the most difficult concertos ever written. Film buffs may recognize it as the concerto in the 1996 movie “Shine.” The second part of the Rachmaninoff double feature is his Third Symphony, displaying his rich gifts for gorgeous melodies and yearning harmonies. Rounding out the program is the second installment of piano preludes commissioned specially for these concerts — including one by Matthias himself!

Rachmaninoff Celebration, Part 2 Piano Concerto No. 3

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

The season finale features the return of Joyce Yang in Rachmaninoff’s exhilarating Piano Concerto No. 3, one of the most intricate, demanding and passionate works in the repertoire. Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers opens the evening with dramatic urgency, leading into Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night, a hauntingly beautiful journey from turmoil to resolution.

Rachmaninoff’s Third

Jacoby Symphony Hall

MSO Concertmaster Jinwoo Lee steps into the spotlight to perform Saint-Saëns’s Third Violin Concerto, a veritable showpiece for the instrument’s sparkling character and color. Conductor Iván López Reynoso, who made his U.S. orchestral debut with the MSO, returns to conduct Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, rife with deliciously heartbreaking tunes and romantic melancholy.

Rachmaninoff & Saint-Saëns

Warner Grand Theater

Some composers think bigger, but it takes a special sort of genius to create a whole new musical universe. Everything about Scriabin’s Third Symphony is larger than life, from the enormous orchestra to the galactic ambition of Scriabin’s inspiration – music that he described as ‘ecstatic’, ‘drunken’ and even ‘divine’! If you like Mahler, you’ll love ‘The Divine Poem’, and for Vasily Petrenko, it’s a passion – a musical experience that doesn’t come around every day.

Hisaishi x Scriabin

Royal Festival Hall

Principal Conductor Ryan Bancroft takes to the podium for his final concert in the title role as we draw our 2025-26 Season to a close, starting with Stravinsky's symphonic poem Song of the Nightingale. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, we hear the story of an emperor in his ornate Chinese palace and the glorious singing of nightingales that accompanies his life.

BBC NOW - Symphonic Dances

Brangwyn Hall

For the final concert of the season, the UN Symphony Orchestra brings together two towering masterpieces of the Romantic repertoire. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 unfolds with sweeping lyricism and virtuosic brilliance, its unforgettable melodies moving from intimate reflection to triumphant grandeur. Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” completes the evening with music inspired by the American folklore. Join us on June 4 for these delightful crowd-pleasers, filled with passion, drama, and symphonic splendor.

From Piano Passion to Sounds of the New World

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space

Chamber music icons in the former Rothschild orangery. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) presents three captivating trios by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, and Schubert at the premiere of its "Chamber Flicker" series in the historic pavilion in Frankfurt's Günthersburgpark. An early stroke of genius by the young Shostakovich meets a musical gem from the late Schubert and Rachmaninoff's melancholic "Trio élégiaque No. 1." Shostakovich was just 17 when he composed his Piano Trio, which was only published from his posthumous manuscripts in 1983. Schubert's Piano Trio is one of his last and most mature works, which, according to Robert Schumann, swept over the musical scene of the time "like an angry apparition from heaven."

Trio élégiaque

Orangerie

Ashley Ryoo, cello

Callan Shanahan, soprano

Saifei Wang, piano

Jonathan Yi, cello

William Johnson, cello

Just how American is the New World Symphony? Although many listeners swear that they hear snatches of such classic folk tunes as “Turkey in the Straw,” “Three Blind Mice,” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” Dvořák later claimed that the Ninth’s title was meant only to describe “impressions and greetings from the New World.” Kicking things off with a commissioned premiere by Tyler Taylor—the 2024 winner of the Emerging Black Composers Project—Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru leads the San Francisco Symphony in a rousing and profound program that also boasts Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto, No. 1, spotlighting Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski. The piano tumbles recklessly, sings ardently, mimics, mocks, and pounds until the meter-juggling finale drives home the happy ending.

Măcelaru Conducts Dvořák’s New World

Davies Symphony Hall

Solamada Pando Girard, baritone

Marie Wurtz, piano

Sam Russ, tuba

Anthony Reznikovsky, piano

The concerts of the Gewandhaus Orchestra are the centrepieces of Frankfurt's Opera Square. It goes without saying that great symphonic music is on the programme at the regular dates of the orchestra with its significant history. On the podium: Andris Nelsons, who has been Gewandhauskapellmeister since 2018. This time, Nelsons and the Leipzig orchestra will be performing two powerful masterpieces that give a glimpse into the soul of their creators: One theory about Dmitri Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony is that he worked through times of deep suffering after Stalin's death. The theory is controversial, but it cannot be denied that the composer gave a harrowing testimony to himself with this work. Sergei Rachmaninov composed himself back to life from a severe creative crisis with his second piano concerto. For Yulianna Avdeeva, music is also a spiritual indicator: ‘With the piano, you share your innermost feelings and thoughts that you often can't put into words.’

Gewandhaus Orchestra

Inspired by Dylan Thomas’ stirring poem, Do Not Go Gentle explores the awe, mystery, and magnitude of the cosmos through music that evokes both the vastness of space and the human spirit’s refusal to fade quietly into the night.

Do Not Go Gentle

Central Presbyterian Church Denver

Mapleton Arts Center

After his brilliant performance at the Cathedral Concert in June 2024, conductor Jan Söderblom returns to the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Together with pianist Alexander Melnikov, he promises fireworks in Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto. This youthful work, later revised by the composer, dazzles with grand Romantic gestures and virtuosic piano brilliance. Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony keeps us in the high-Romantic spirit but takes us across the Atlantic. Amy Beach sought a distinct musical voice for the United States, much like Dvořák. Drawing on her English, Irish, and Scottish heritage, her symphony overflows with warmth and inviting melodies. The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is delighted to share these captivating sounds with you.

Rachmaninov with Alexander Melnikov

Queen Elisabeth Hall

TivoliVredenburg

Be swept up in the infectious energy of Javelin, an audience favorite originally composed for the Olympics by American composer Michael Torke. Be dazzled by the keyboard gymnastics of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini performed by Stewart Goodyear, “one of the best pianists of his generation” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Be immersed in the shimmering grace and beauty of Respighi’s Fountains of Rome before being swallowed whole by Pines of Rome, the majestic finale to our 2025-26 season.

Pines Of Rome

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts

Journey with Toronto Symphony Orchestra Conductor Emeritus Peter Oundjian through the vivid imagery of Mussorgsky’s glorious Pictures at an Exhibition. “Set to dominate the piano world for a long time to come” (The Times of London), Simon Trpčeski tackles Rachmaninoff’s impressive First Piano Concerto, bursting with virtuosic passages. Joan Tower’s Concerto for Orchestra opens the evening showcasing the exceptional musicians of the VSO.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Orpheum

Some nights are more than concerts—they are milestones. This is one of them. As we celebrate Maestro Muffitt’s incredible 20-year journey with LSO, we do so with music that speaks to legacy and possibility. Jon Nakamatsu performs Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini, a piece that blends brilliance with a touch of mischief. We then premiere a brand-new work by LSO Composer-in-Residence Jared Miller—because the best way to honor the past is to embrace the future. And finally, Respighi’s Pines of Rome, a symphonic poem that rises, swells, and shines—just like the city it was inspired by. A fitting way to mark the end of an era and the beginning of whatever comes next.

Wharton Center for Performing Arts

Fasten your seatbelt as Alessio Bax tackles Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a creation of massive power and drive and one of the hardest-to-master works in the repertoire. After its premiere in New York City, a critic wrote that “its great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performances by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers.” Its quiet start leads into an astonishing unleashing of notes and hurtles to a riveting conclusion. Copland’s Third Symphony also was first presented in the U.S. Its spirit is undeniably “American”—vital, optimistic, and big-hearted—triumphantly exclaimed in the finale’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Copland & Rachmaninoff

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

The new significant international award will be inaugurated right in the middle of Copenhagen with a fireworks display of a concert with three world stars, when Tivoli Concert Hall hosts the first  Daphne Awards - an award that celebrates the transformative properties of music; a power that we will feel for ourselves in the concert hall, where a top-tuned Tivoli Copenhagen Phil with conductor Alondra de la Parra at the front delivers a veritable parade of classic hits.

Daphne Awards

Tivolis Koncertsal

Here Gavrylyuk tackles Rachmaninov’s notoriously difficult Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. These 24 variations take you on a wild ride, from stormy to mischievous to tender; but in the 18th, Rachmaninov flips the melody upside down to reveal one of classical music’s biggest and best-loved tunes.

Alexander Gavrylyuk performs Rachmaninov

Sydney Opera House

Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been called “an artist of uncommon abilities” by American Record Guide. His latest Centaur recording, “Grand Russian”, pairing Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata and Rachmaninov’s 1st Sonata, was cited in ARG: “Even with some legendary competition in this repertoire, Tiu stands tall with his interpretations and technical accomplishment.” Here for an exclusive Queensland concert, Professor Tiu will perform a concert of Classical and Romantic piano favorites.

Albert Tiu in Recital

Queensland Conservatorium

This program draws inspiration from the ocean: Britten’s Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes present an unforgiving antagonist; Debussy’s La Mer depicts a world of enchantment, and in its Australian premiere Poème by Jeanne Demessieux plumbs the still depths of the sea.

For Schools: Open Rehearsal with Nicholas Carter

Elsie Lu, Piano

The Juilliard School

Becca Harrison, piano

Conducted by Donato Cabrera, California Symphony performs at the Lesher Center, featuring guest soloist Sofya Gulyak.

Heroic Rachmaninoff

Lesher Center for the Arts

Masterworks 9 opens with a new commission from longtime Symphony friend Sydney Guillaume. Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a virtuosic masterpiece that fuses Russian heritage with American influences. After intermission, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra showcases the orchestra in vivid colors and textures, capturing the resilience and adaptability of a composer who embraced his new world.

Masterworks 9: To America

Martin Woldson Theater

Be the first to experience the third and final commission for the California Symphony by Saad Haddad, whose music has already garnered praise by critics including the New York Times.

Guest Artist: Evelyn Fuentes, Alto Saxophone & 2025 Youth Concerto Competition Winner

Symphonic Dances

Miller Theater

The Texas Medical Center Orchestra concludes its 2025-2026 season with a concert filled with exploration, innovation, and the joy of music.

Russian Fireworks

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti makes his highly anticipated LA Phil debut conducting Rachmaninoff’s masterful Second Symphony. Written during a particularly fruitful period of the composer’s career, the lush and passionate Second bursts with orchestral colors. “[T]here was a real sense of Viotti … getting caught up in the Romantic spirit of the work,” Bachtrack reported following a 2022 performance of the work.

Rachmaninoff & Szymanowski

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Based on the poem by Nikolay Nekrasov, and quite opposed to its joyful title, Spring follows a husband who, previously inflicted with murderous thoughts towards his unfaithful wife during the winter, is released from his frustration with the return of spring.

Spring with Sir Mark Elder

The Bridgewater Hall

Following his acclaimed performance at the Hallé’s 2023 BBC Proms concert, Ukrainian baritone Andrii Kymach and the Hallé Choir once again join forces for a work by Rachmaninov. Based on the poem by Nikolay Nekrasov, and quite opposed to its joyful title, Spring follows a husband who, previously inflicted with murderous thoughts towards his unfaithful wife during the winter, is released from his frustration with the return of spring. Stravinsky’s Song of the Nightingale – an effective musical illustration of both real and mechanical birdsong – begins proceedings. Following it is Prokofiev’s enigmatic Dreams, the composer’s earliest surviving orchestral work and finally, Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, often dubbed ‘Little Russian’ thanks to its effective use of Ukrainian folksongs, provides a joyful end to the evening.

The Hallé – Spring with Sir Mark Elder

Stephen Joven-Lee, piano

Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances combine irresistible rhythms with big, catchy tunes – a perfect introduction to classical music!

Ready, Set, Listen! Symphonic Dances

Arim Fremont, born in St. Louis, Missouri, began taking piano lessons at the age of six. She is currently a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is majoring in Philosophy–Neuroscience–Psychology on the cognitive neuroscience track and minoring in music.

Arim Fremont, Senior Minor Recital, piano

560 Music Center

Mystique and Wonder

Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo

Fabulous "Finnish" - Symphony Orchestra

ISU Center for the Performing Arts

First United Methodist Church, Springfield

Each performance centres around a piece of core classical repertoire arranged for a smaller ensemble, specially adapted for young ears and imaginations.

For Schools: Ready, Set, Listen! Symphonic Dances

The incomparable Stephen Hough, one of the greatest players of our time, returns to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, a dazzler combining ferocious pianism with Hollywood lyricism. Music Director Laureate Robert Spano returns to conduct a pair of Bernstein symphonies over a two-week residency. This week's concert shines a spotlight on the ASO brass in Bernstein's tumultuous Jeremiah Symphony, based on the Biblical prophet. The Orchestra welcomes the Grammy® Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor.

America @ 250: Spano Conducts Rachmaninoff + Bernstein

The Woodruff Arts Center

Cameron Leonardi, clarinet

Be immersed in the sweeping romance of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. With its themes of love and longing, this symphony envelops its listeners in lush harmonies and soaring melodies, offering a powerful and passionate musical escape.

Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2

David Pecaut Square

2024/25 Concerto Competition winner Harrison Yang Meng steps into the spotlight with Walton’s Viola Concerto, showcasing the instrument’s rich, expressive voice. The program culminates in Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, a sweeping, romantic masterpiece brimming with lush harmonies and soaring melodies, offering a powerful and passionate musical escape.

Composer

Sergey Rachmaninoff

Events

Upcoming events

Aug 7, 2026

High Festival Level · Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra

Aug 10, 2026

High Festival Level · Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra

Aug 16, 2026

Tour: Menuhin Festival Gstaad · Budapest Festival Orchestra

Aug 18, 2026

Lucerne Festival Orchestra | Riccardo Chailly | Lukas Sternath · Lucerne Festival

Aug 19, 2026

Tour: La Chaise-Dieu · Budapest Festival Orchestra

Past events

Aug 2, 2026

Two Romantics: Dialogue between Chopin & Rachmaninoff | Michelle Yelin Nam, piano · Spivey Hall

Jul 31, 2026

Rustem Hayroudinoff · Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

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