Rakhmaninov 2‎

Death and rebirth are both present in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, an excellent illustration of his mature period, premiered in Saint Petersburg and conducted by the composer himself. It represents the Russian composer’s symphonic rebirth after the disaster of his first symphony ten years before, which plunged him into a depression and stopped him from composing for a time. The reference to the famous Dies irae from the funeral mass, present in all his symphonies, features prominently throughout the four movements.  Written shortly after he moved to Dresden, during a lull between the two most turbulent periods in his life, this long symphony illustrates many of his finest strengths as a composer, including his boundless melodic imagination and the palette of colours that he draws from the orchestra. The symphony also reflects Tchaikovsky’s influences. 

The mythical backdrop to Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)–unrooted in any particular time or place–unfolds in a prelude, not just to an opera but to a tetralogy. Through a skilful use of harmony and timbre, a musical world is organically shaped.

In Luis Codera Puzo’s premiere, the notion of latent sound in Wagner’s prelude is used to give full rein to his fascinating musical universe, accompanied by an analogue modular synthesiser that interacts live with the orchestra.