A young man’s first masterpiece: a master’s final triumph; and a piece written after its “composer” had died. Richmond Orchestra’s Spring concert offers a window into the ferment of musical activity in Russia towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Borodin worked on his monumental opera Prince Igor for most of his adult life, and died in 1887 without completing it. The Overture was written from his ideas by Alexander Glazunov. A few years later in 1891 the eighteen-year-old Rachmaninov, torn between composition and performance, produced his First Piano Concerto and thereby proved he could do both. We are delighted to be joined by the dazzling young Russian virtuoso Victor Maslov for this glorious piece.

Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony’s tumultuous premiere took place only a few days before the composer’s sudden death. Its Russian subtitle Pateticheskaya means “passionate”, and in it he faced the world with more openness and searing emotional honesty than ever before.

Join us for an unforgettable evening.