Orchestre National de France

The reputation of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto N. 3 precedes it. It is fiendishly difficult for a soloist and has become a compulsory rite of passage for performers ever since it was first premiered. Legend has it that the Russian composer agreed to a tour in the United States in 1909 so that he could buy himself a car, a luxury reserved for a select few. He devised this new concerto for the New World and thus the most Russian of Russian works was premiered on a November evening in New York in 1909. It has since become a global hit. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, one of the last great works of wartime, dates from 1944-45. Its epic power perfectly captures the sense of victory experienced by the Red Army when it defeated the Germans, from the initial solemn Andante through to the final swell of the brass section.

Coproduction Théâtre des Champs-Elysées | Radio France
France Musique live broadcasts this concert.