Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto is breathtakingly beautiful – but fiendishly difficult.Partly because not every pianist has hands the size of Rachmaninoff’s – his thumb and pinkie could span 12 inches, more than most NBA players – and could canvas nearly two octaves. Audiences feel like anything could happen, makes it one of the most thrilling works to watch live. For Carl Nielsen, his Symphony No. 4, “Inextinguishable,” was conceived as a “battle between the forces of order and chaos.’’ But his inspiration was the spirit of life. At the top of the score, he wrote “Music is life, and like it, it is inextinguishable.’’ These program notes include music excerpts.
Masterworks 10 of the 22/23 Season
Performances: Feb. 24-26, 2023