Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky & Borodin

Saturday 14 March 2020, 7:30 pm
Oxford Town Hall

Borodin - Polovtsian Dances
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto no.1
Rachmaninov - Symphony no.2

Thomas Kelly piano
Robert Max conductor

Borodin only wrote one opera Prince Igor, and did not complete it himself, but his exotic Polovtsian Dances from the climax of Act 2 have long featured in the classical repertoire as an orchestral showpiece.

Tchaikovsky's romantic and virtuosic piano concerto no.1 was performed by Thomas Kelly, who has been studying with Andrew Ball and is in his third year at the Royal College of Music. Thomas has won numerous prizes, including in 2019 the RCM Joan Chissell Schumann competition, the Kendall Taylor Beethoven competition, and the BPSE Intercollegiate Beethoven competition.

After the reception of Rachmaninov's first symphony, there was a wait of ten years before he produced his second. The wait was well worth it, producing a much-loved masterpiece with passion, energy and drama.