Sergei Rachmaninov; Mikhail Pletnev - Symphonic Dances; Rachmaniana

Information

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov; Mikhail Pletnev

• Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
• Pletnev - Rachmaniana

Rachmaninoff International Orchestra

Mikhail Pletnev, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: EuroArts Music International

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This release pairs Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances with the world premiere recording of Rachmaniana, first performed in January 2026 at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Pletnev’s eight-movement suite offers a reflective reinterpretation of Rachmaninoff’s musical language, evoking traits such as passion, tenderness, irony, and melancholy without direct quotation. Movements like Dance, Nocturne, and Serenade recall Romantic and late-Romantic idioms, while Paysage and Proshchaniye rework earlier Rachmaninoff pieces with orchestral colour and emotional depth. The finale transforms the material into a virtuosic, dance-like conclusion. The work reflects a contemporary engagement with tradition, blending nostalgia and modern sensibility while maintaining a focus on expressive beauty and emotional continuity in music.

Mikhail Pletnev (b. 1957) grew up in a musical family in Arkhangelsk and trained at the Moscow Central Music School and Moscow Conservatory. His international breakthrough came in 1978 with the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, launching a global career as a pianist and, from 1980, as a conductor. His friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev facilitated the 1990 founding of the Russian National Orchestra, the first independent Russian orchestra since 1917, which quickly achieved international acclaim. Now based in Switzerland, he founded the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra in 2022. Pletnev is also an active composer, known for works such as his Trumpet Concerto, Cello Sonata, and orchestrations of Chopin’s piano concertos.

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