Rachmaninoff 150

Composers of the Romantic Era sought to create music that was individualistic, emotional and dramatic – and one of the masters of the movement was born in Russia on April 1^st, 1873: Sergey Rachmaninoff. This season the SC Phil is joining orchestras all over the world to celebrate his 150^th birthday. Featuring Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony, one of the few works to be composed during the composer’s self-imposed exile from Russia after 1917 - our celebration spotlights one of his strongest and most original compositions. It reveals his usual sure touch with orchestral color, calling for a degree of technical virtuosity from an ensemble that he rarely demanded in other works.

This concert features a double-dose of Rachmaninoff as Katherine Liu, winner of the 2022 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, joins the SC Phil for a thrilling performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The evening will begin with a bit of a symphonic rarity as the orchestra performs D’un Soir Triste, or “Of a Sad Evening,” which was written by French composer Lili Boulanger in 1918, shortly before her death at age 24.

Program Overview

Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Featuring Katherine Liu, piano

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, op. 44