Stéphane Denève Conductor
Yefim Bronfman Piano
Ravel Mother Goose Suite
Firsova Piano Concerto (United States premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra co-commission)
Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3
Our celebration of the Orchestra’s shared history with Sergei Rachmaninoff continues with his poignant Third Symphony, given its world premiere by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Leopold Stokowski in 1936. In it he wedded a distinctive musical style formed over four decades with an idealized sound he kept in his mind of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the ensemble he loved best and worked with the most. The program begins with the U.S. premiere of Russian composer Elena Firsova’s Piano Concerto, masterfully performed by soloist Yefim Bronfman.
Lead support for the Rachmaninoff 150 Celebration is provided by Tatiana Copeland. Mrs. Copeland’s mother was the niece of Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Tatiana Copeland was named after the composer’s daughter, Tatiana Sergeyevna Rachmaninoff.