Challenging and entertaining!
Denis Kozhukhin joins conductor Andres Orozco-Estrada and the San Francisco Symphony for this program featuring two of Russia's greatest 20th-century composers, both touched by the political tumult of the Russian Revolution.
Opening the presentation is Prokofiev's notoriously intricate Piano Concerto No.2. Reconstructed in 1923 after the original manuscript was lost in the flames of the revolution. Known as one of the repertoire's most difficult pieces, Kozhukhin will not disappoint, having gained rapturous praise the world over with his previous performances.
As a balm, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No.2 is a beautiful and energetic work that repays the audience in kind for their concentration. Composed whilst residing in Dresden before the revolution, the work was received with impassioned fervor, helping the composer get his creativity and self-confidence back.