Rachmaninov's Second Symphony

Hear iconic pieces by composers who honed their craft to achieve perfection.

Following a tepid reaction at its premiere, Max Bruch immediately withdrew his First Violin Concerto, working on a revised version with Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. The result – rich, seductive and packed with Magyar flavour – brought him international fame and eclipsed everything he subsequently wrote. Elena Urioste is the soloist in this much-loved work.

Written 40 years later, Sergei Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony is the ultimate Romantic symphony, packed with all the sumptuous melody and heart-on-sleeve intensity that we have come to associate with the Russian composer’s music. But hidden beneath its glossy exterior is a complex, foreword-looking musical machinery that brought Rachmaninov critical acclaim – a huge relief after the unmitigated disaster of his First Symphony.

We open with the overture from George Gershwin’s Strike up the Band. Stuffed with marches and Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired pomposity, this Broadway satire puts the US military-industrial complex in its crosshairs (the original sees a US tycoon go to war with Switzerland over cheese tariffs). The show – a flop at first – was reworked with the help of George’s brother, Ira, and became a major hit, sealing their reputation as the slickest musical duo on Tin Pan Alley.