Rachmaninov Rhapsody

Timeless pieces meet future classics in this swoon worthy concert

A concerto in all but name, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is one of the best-loved works for piano and orchestra. Acclaimed pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk steps into the spotlight in Rachmaninov’s eternally alluring gem. The Russian connection continues in the second half of the concert with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, a compilation of the most beautiful episodes from Stravinsky’s luscious ballet score. The Firebird made Stravinsky’s name in the West and left Paris audiences swooning. More than a century on, it has lost none of its lustre.

The concert commences with exotic music of a different stripe with the Suite No 1 from Falla’s Spanish-themed ballet The Three-Cornered Hat. Moving to the opposite side of the Mediterranean, we hear At the Aegean Shores by Spanish-Belgian composer Saskia Venegas, who volunteered in an asylum seeker camp in Greece in the summer of 2016. At the Aegean Shores is her response to the human tragedy that unfolded there.