Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky

Stravinsky - Jeu de Cartes
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto no.4
Tchaikovsky - Symphony no.6

Thomas Kelly piano
Robert Max conductor

Stravinsky was a life-long card enthusiast and wrote his Jeu de Cartes ballet depicting poker in three movements, each of which he called a "deal", in which the dancers would dress as cards. The music is light-hearted and references famous snippets of his earlier works and those from other composers.

Rachmaninov's fourth and final piano concerto bears his classic signature with its lush orchestrations and expressive melodies, but it is also a forward-thinking work, with impressionistic hints and compositional techniques that were new for his time. It will be played for us by Thomas Kelly.

Tchaikovsky's extraordinary 6th and final symphony contains sweeping melodies, and outbursts of passion and raw emotions. Its usual moniker "Pathétique" comes from the pathos the symphony embodies.