Work: Symphonic Dances, Op.45

The work most frequently performed in concert in 2023, Rachmaninov’s masterpiece owes its popularity to specific circumstances, but also to much deeper reasons.

The demonic Dies irae motif haunts many of Rachmaninov’s compositions – but what meaning did this Catholic hymn have for the Russian composer?

Possibly the greatest pianist of the 20th century and one of its greatest composers too, Sergei Rachmaninov left a relatively small catalogue – only 45 published works – yet many of them appear frequently in concert programmes.