Rachmaninoff: Paganini Rhapsody & Symphony No. 1
Lucerne Festival 2025

In the summer of 2025, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly continued their journey into Sergei Rachmaninoff's emotional world. With the rarely performed The Rock, Op. 7, they immersed themselves in the composer's early work and laid the foundations for a compelling concert evening.

In his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, Rachmaninoff counterposes his own piano virtuosity against the brilliance of the legendary violinist Paganini. “But it is not a ‘concerto’!” Rachmaninoff emphasized in a letter to his sister. Approaching a theme with piano and orchestra beyond the conventions of a piano concerto proved to be a creative breakthrough. Rachmaninoff reveals a broad spectrum of musical moods: spirited, tender, passionate, wistful, mystical, and intensely dramatic. The piece was performed by the exceptional pianist Beatrice Rana, renowned worldwide for her electrifying playing.

To conclude the evening, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, under Riccardo Chailly’s direction, presented Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13. The biblical epigraph Rachmaninoff inscribed on the score is also the opening of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” This symphony marks the monumental finale of Rachmaninoff’s youthful creative phase. The concert promises to showcase the rich, multifaceted nature of the composer’s work.