Immigration, Citizenship, and Culture Blog

Rachmaninov’s 3rd rocks Montreal’s Maison symphonique
By Stephen Fogarty March 7, 2013

By Stephen Fogarty When the soloist was sitting down on Saturday night, I said to my concert companion, “He looks strong enough to break the piano!”  The soloist in question was Denis Matsuev and I would not be surprised to learn that he was also a judoka on the Russian Olympic Team. So considering pure physicality, we knew we were in strong hands to perform what many claim to be the most demanding of all piano concertos, Rachmaninov’s 3rd.  This piece includes many forceful passages with the piano and orchestra playing simultaneously, as well as a number of dialogues between piano and orchestra sections, especially the brass.  You simply won’t hear the piano most of the time unless it is played vigorously. Also much of the piano’s work is set at a very fast pace.  The whole thing has the serious potential of flying apart in all directions. Read More



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