Rachmaninoff was only 22 when he wrote his first symphony, but conductor Valery Gergiev believes it can hold its own against any of the composer's later, more famous works. He says the symphony is filled with "emotional power and beautiful lyricism." Gergiev leads the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Claude Debussy: Sarabande
The Quebec Symphony Orchestra with conductor Yoav Talmi
Antonin Dvorak: Slavonic Dance in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 2
Pianists Wendy Chen and Charles Wadsworth
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Athens, Georgia
Bedrich Smetana: "The Little Hen" from "Czech Dances"
Pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe
Alice Tully Hall, New York City
George Frideric Handel: Concerto No. 15 in D Minor, HWV 304
Harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper with musicians from Music@Menlo
Music@Menlo, Palo Alto, California
Camille Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 5 in F, Op. 103 ("Egyptian")
Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and conductor Yoav Talmi
Grand Theatre, Quebec, Canada
Hour 2
Bedrich Smetana: "Dance of the Villagers" from "The Bartered Bride"
The London Symphony Orchestra with conductor Geoffrey Simon
Arcangelo Corelli: Allegro from Concerto Grosso in D, Op. 6/4
Concerto Copenhagen with conductor Lars Ulrik Mortensen
Garrison Church, Copenhagen, Denmark
Claudio Monteverdi: "Zefiro Torna"
The Brentano String Quartet
Cite de La Musique, Paris, France
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 13
The London Symphony Orchestra with conductor Valery Gergiev
Barbican Hall, London, England
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
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