hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony)

Between the transcendent virtuosity of Rachmaninov’s Concerto n° 3, a spectacular demonstration of compositional technique, and the oriental enchantments of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, two of the most popular works in the Russian Pantheon share the billing with exceptional performers.

Considered "the most difficult of the repertoire" and premiered in 1909 in New York, Rachmaninov’s Concerto n° 3 exhibits the fire and lyricism of a composer torn between a visceral attachment to his homeland and his desire for the American adventure. With its famous introductory theme, infused by both popular and liturgical motifs, the work adopts throughout its three movements a cyclical organization, alternating elegiac melodies and deflagrations of galvanizing energy. Featured in cinema, notably in Shine (1996), it overflows with the seductive appeal of Hollywood, and exemplifies such fierce virtuosity that, according to legend, Rachmaninov himself was afraid to play it! In terms of charm, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade (1889) is a perfect match. Inspired from the tale A Thousand and One Nights, this symphonic suite brings to the heights of refinement the Oriental strains also explored by Borodin and Balakirev. The seafaring adventures of Sinbad, warrior fanfares, the sensuality of night gardens and heady perfumes, whirling garlands of fairy dust that cast a trancelike spell of the mysterious Orient: these are the colourful images, woven together by the swirling solo violin, that escape from the lips of Scheherazade.  

hr-Sinfonieorchester / Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Musical director Alain Altinoglu
Piano Anna Vinnitskaya

Sergei Rachmaninov
Concerto for piano n°3 op.30

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade –
Symphonic suite op.35