Rachmaninoff: Inside Out

I N S I D E

Oct 2014 – Apr 2015 lpo.org.uk/rachmaninoff

O U T

WHO WAS RACHMANINOFF? I N S I D E

fascinated by

death romantic phenomenal the ultimate

brilliant

family man

exile

virtuoso big hands pianist grumpy passionate memory

lover of

words

insecure

deeply patriotic

O U T

very tall

speedboats

genius

old-fashioned

3 October 2014 – 29 April 2015 Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre The London Philharmonic Orchestra presents a season-long exploration of Rachmaninoff’s life and music including performances of his symphonies, concertos, operas, songs and choral works.

fast cars

‘ I write the music which I hear playing inside me’ Serge Rachmaninoff

Concerts in Rachmaninoff: Inside Out are generously supported by: Rachmaninoff: Inside Out is part of the UK Russia Year of Culture 2014

WHO WAS RACHMANINOFF? fascinated by

death romantic phenomenal the ultimate

brilliant

DID YOU KNOW?

Booking information London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office 020 7840 4242 (£2.75 transaction fee) Monday to Friday 10.00am–5.00pm lpo.org.uk (£1.75 transaction fee)

family man

exile

virtuoso big hands pianist grumpy passionate memory

HOW TO BOOK

03

lover of

words

insecure

deeply patriotic

very tall

speedboats

genius

Southbank Centre Ticket Office 0844 847 9920 (£2.75 transaction fee) Daily 9.00am–8.00pm southbankcentre.co.uk (£1.75 transaction fee)

fast cars

02

old-fashioned

01

The soundtrack to David Lean’s film of lost love, Brief Encounter, features Rachmaninoff’s romantic Piano Concerto No. 2 throughout

Rachmaninoff’s powerful Piano Concerto No. 3 is the focus in the Oscar-winning film Shine, based on the life of Australian concert pianist David Helfgott

In person at Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office (no fee) Daily 10.00am–8.00pm

05

Celine Dion’s cover version of Eric Carmen’s 1975 power ballad All By Myself borrows heavily from the sublime slow movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2

04

In 2010, a 180-milewide impact crater was discovered on the planet Mercury and named Rachmaninoff

by NASA

Matt Bellamy, frontman of the English rock band Muse, acknowledges the influence of Rachmaninoff in his music, most noticeably in Space Dementia, Blackout and Butterflies and Hurricanes ‘Rachmaninoff has some kind of weird dark edge to his music which I don’t think I’ve heard with any other kind of music before.’

Matt Bellamy

Tickets: £9–£39 (Premium seats £65) Book more, pay less Book 3–4 concerts and receive a 10% discount Book 5–7 concerts and receive a 15% discount Book 8–10 concerts and receive a 20% discount Book 11 concerts and receive a 25% discount

06

2014 BRIT Award nominee John Grant used Rachmaninoff’s famous Prelude in C sharp minor as his inspiration for the title track of his album Pale Green Ghosts ‘It occurred to me while I was making Pale Green Ghosts that it would fit right on top of that ...

I love that piece of music so much; it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.’

John Grant

Getting there Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre Belvedere Road London SE1 8XX By underground to Waterloo, Embankment or Charing Cross By rail to Waterloo, Waterloo East or Charing Cross Find out more Discover more about Rachmaninoff: Inside Out online: lpo.org.uk/rachmaninoff sound clips / interviews / videos / programme notes / reviews Join the conversations #rach Listen to our Rachmaninoff Spotify playlists

full event listings

WHO WAS RACHMANINOFF? fascinated by

death romantic phenomenal the ultimate

brilliant

DID YOU KNOW?

HOW TO BOOK Booking information London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office 020 7840 4242 (£2.75 transaction fee) Monday to Friday 10.00am–5.00pm lpo.org.uk (£1.75 transaction fee) Southbank Centre Ticket Office 0844 847 9920 (£2.75 transaction fee) Daily 9.00am–8.00pm southbankcentre.co.uk (£1.75 transaction fee)

family man

exile

virtuoso big hands pianist grumpy passionate memory

In person at Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office (no fee) Daily 10.00am–8.00pm

lover of

words

deeply patriotic

very tall

speedboats

genius

Tickets: £9–£39 (Premium seats £65)

Celine Dion’s cover version of Eric Carmen’s 1975 power ballad All By Myself borrows heavily from the sublime slow movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2

insecure

fast cars

Matt Bellamy, frontman of the English rock band Muse, acknowledges the influence of Rachmaninoff in his music, most noticeably in Space Dementia, Blackout and Butterflies and Hurricanes

old-fashioned

The soundtrack to David Lean’s film of lost love, Brief Encounter, features Rachmaninoff’s romantic Piano Concerto No. 2 throughout

Rachmaninoff’s powerful Piano Concerto No. 3 is the focus in the Oscar-winning film Shine, based on the life of Australian concert pianist David Helfgott

In 2010, a 180-milewide impact crater was discovered on the planet Mercury and named Rachmaninoff

by NASA

‘Rachmaninoff has some kind of weird dark edge to his music which I don’t think I’ve heard with any other kind of music before.’

Matt Bellamy

Book more, pay less Book 3–4 concerts and receive a 10% discount Book 5–7 concerts and receive a 15% discount Book 8–10 concerts and receive a 20% discount Book 11 concerts and receive a 25% discount Getting there

2014 BRIT Award nominee John Grant used Rachmaninoff’s famous Prelude in C sharp minor as his inspiration for the title track of his album Pale Green Ghosts ‘It occurred to me while I was making Pale Green Ghosts that it would fit right on top of that ...

I love that piece of music so much; it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.’

John Grant

Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre Belvedere Road London SE1 8XX By underground to Waterloo, Embankment or Charing Cross By rail to Waterloo, Waterloo East or Charing Cross Find out more Discover more about Rachmaninoff: Inside Out online: lpo.org.uk/rachmaninoff sound clips / interviews / videos / programme notes / reviews Join the conversations #rach Listen to our Rachmaninoff Spotify playlists

full event listings

FRI 3 OCT 2014 7.30pm

Rachmaninoff The Isle of the Dead

Royal Festival Hall

dark anticipation / undulating water / death’s calling / the underworld / chill / haunting mystery / urgency

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 vivacity / impetuous / joy / youthfulness / brass fanfares / virtuosic / bold romanticism

Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Alexander Ghindin piano

colourful melodies / driving energy / rhythmic vitality / lush sounds / Russian chant / evocative fantasy

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

WED 29 OCT 2014 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Free pre-concert event 6.15pm–6.45pm Royal Festival Hall Acclaimed film director Tony Palmer discusses the enduring popularity of Rachmaninoff’s music.

FRI 7 NOV 2014 7.30pm

sweeping melodies / Shine / magical beauty / piano flourishes / sumptuous harmonies / dazzling virtuosity

Royal Festival Hall

Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme

by Thomas Tallis

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

vivid sonority / Elizabethan fantasy / modal harmonies / deep intimacy / rich string textures / magic / glory / surround-sound luminescence

FRI 28 NOV 2014 7.30pm

Wagner Overture, Tannhäuser

Royal Festival Hall

mythology / dramatic tapestries / pilgrims’ march / stirring drama / sensuality / haunting chromaticism

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

WED 3 DEC 2014 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

*Supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme, and by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.

WED 21 JAN 2015 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

SAT 7 FEB 2015 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

WED 11 FEB 2015 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

FRI 13 FEB 2015 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall

Free pre-concert event 6.15pm–6.45pm Royal Festival Hall Learn about the often overlooked influence of Scriabin with Professor Stephen Downes.

Free pre-concert event 6.15pm-6.45pm Royal Festival Hall Director Annabel Arden discusses her semi-staging of The Miserly Knight.

Free pre-concert event 4.00pm-6.00pm Royal Festival Hall Don’t miss this rare chance to hear Rachmaninoff’s piano rolls performed by Rex Lawson and Denis Hall of the Pianola Institute.

Free pre-concert event 6.00pm-6.45pm Royal Festival Hall LPO musicians have been working with GCSE students from southeast London to explore the music of Rachmaninoff. They will perform their own new works for ensemble – Rachmaninoff out of Rotherhithe!

Free pre-concert event 6.15pm-6.45pm Royal Festival Hall Vasily Petrenko explores the impact of Rachmaninoff on a Russian conductor.

Wagner Das Rheingold (excerpts) Ring Cycle / The Rhine / stolen gold / corruption / rhythmic anvils / harps / creation

Rachmaninoff Three Russian Songs folksong / rich bass notes / Russian soulfulness / poignancy / evocative / deep nostalgia / choral / homeland / yearning / warmth

Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements majestic energy / meditation / jazz / propulsive rhythms / contrasts

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 subtle textures / rhythmic punch / jazz inflections / showpiece / unstoppable energy / sardonic / evocative shifting melodies

Mozart Symphony No. 36 (Linz) lilting rhythms / pastoral mood / vigour / melodies / grace

Royal Festival Hall

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 brass grandeur / sweeping climaxes / romanticism / virtuosity / warmth / woodwind calls / urgent drama / whirling excitement / Russian dance

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini jauntiness / variations / gravity / energetic showpiece / relentlessness/ romantic chords / variation 18 / transformation

theme & variations / funeral march / flashes of colour / Chopinesque / clarinet & horn solos / Russian dances

poetic / Wagnerian / bombastic / brassy / string melodies

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

WED 25 MAR 2015 7.30pm

music from the heart / powerful / sublime lyricism / dance music / yearning clarinet / deep intensity / brilliant energy / swirling adventure / Russian drama

Scriabin Piano Concerto Szymanowski* Concert Overture

Royal Festival Hall

Free pre-concert event 6.15pm-6.45pm Royal Festival Hall Keeping it in the family: Vladimir Jurowski looks at his grandfather’s arrangement of the songs heard tonight.

Rachmaninoff (arr. Butsko) Piano Works, Four Movements exhilaration / majestic chords / grandeur / virtuosity / cascades / calm reflection / poeticism

Osmo Vänskä conductor Nikolai Lugansky piano

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 (Winter Daydreams) Russian folk music / melancholy / flightiness / picturesque beauty / dreaminess

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 1

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Igor Levit piano

impending tragedy / anticipation / fluttering heartbeats / moody / vivid dynamism / soundtrack / melodic swells / scattered emotions / light & shadow

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Vsevolod Grivnov Albert Maxim Mikhailov Servant Viacheslav Voynarovskiy Moneylender Albert Shagidullin The Duke Sergei Leiferkus The Baron Annabel Arden director

Pushkin / opera / sinister / greed & evil / brooding melodies / medieval drama / The Baron / The Duke / Moneylender / orchestral drama / grotesque

Rachmaninoff Spring

David Zinman conductor Behzod Abduraimov piano

wild excitement / desperation / emotional expression / fate motif / soaring melodies / pizzicato

Rachmaninoff The Miserly Knight (semi-staged)

green shoots / choral / promise / rustling leaves / forgiveness / fervour / lush / love / mercy / poetry / awakening

Enescu Symphony No. 3

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Rachmaninoff The Bells (Choral Symphony)

unabashed romanticism / sublime melodies / Brief Encounter / nostalgic / heartfelt passion / dazzling piano / glittering bravura / velvety harmonies / showstopper / enduring popularity

Russian winter / mist & fog / dark skies / sleigh bells / magic / goosebumps / wedding bells / mourning bells / solemn knells / powerful voices / foreboding / Edgar Allan Poe

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Andrei Bondarenko baritone London Philharmonic Choir

sumptuous / wordless chorus / vast orchestra / brooding / hell, heaven & earth / heroism

Vasily Petrenko conductor Jorge Luis Prats piano Anna Samuil soprano Daniil Shtoda tenor Alexander Vinogradov bass London Philharmonic Choir

Vasily Petrenko conductor Alexander Ghindin piano

Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 craziness / high speed / Ländler / castanets / waltz-like / funeral march / Mahler’s influence

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 vivacity / impetuous / joy / youthfulness / brass fanfares / virtuosic / bold romanticism

WED 29 APR 2015 7.30pm

Vassily Sinaisky conductor Pavel Kolesnikov piano

Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2

Rachmaninoff (arr. Jurowski) 10 Songs lyricism / mourning / calm / dreaminess / agitation / sparkle / rapture

Dvorák ˇ Symphony No. 8

Ilyich Rivas conductor Dmitry Mayboroda piano

optimistic cheer / Bohemian flavour / folk music / bird-call / improvisation / lyrical tranquillity / landscapes / turbulence

Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3 nostalgic yearning / dignity / brilliant vitality / Russian dances / percussion / power & emotion / Day of Wrath / optimistic fervour

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Vsevolod Grivnov tenor

‘ Tell me, does anyone want this kind of music?’

lpo.org.uk/rachmaninoff

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Tolstoy on Rachmaninoff