Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky

Nothing marks the start of a public event quite like a performance of the Star Spangled Banner – especially when everyone is excited to be together in-person again at our FSO Home. The piece was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889, by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and finally made the national anthem in 1921.

The season kicks off with a bold program featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by soloist Dominic Cheli. This concerto is known as the most technically challenging in the repertoire, and features marching rhythms, grace, speed, and lush melodies. Rachmaninoff is the last of the Russian Romantic composers, and 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor starts with horns, trumpets, and woodwinds and blossoms into booming, syncopated chords. This bold, romantic, melodic experience reflects moods and emotions from Tchaikovsky’s personal life. Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky also enjoyed a working relationship together at the Moscow Conservatory, where Tchaikovsky was a music theory professor.