A New World: Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Bartók

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 3 in D minor

Ravel La Valse   

Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin Suite

Junyan Chen piano

Joanna MacGregor conductor

For their opening concert, BPO performs three works pushing at the boundaries of psychological drama and storytelling, ushering in the early twentieth century.

There’s nothing more spectacular than Rachmaninoff’s mighty third piano concerto – a tour de force for any performer, and the pinnacle of the romantic concerto. Written while the composer faced his last years in Russia leading up to the Bolshevik Revolution, it radiates deep longing as well as hair raising technical demands. The orchestra is joined by one of the most exciting piano stars in the firmament: the charismatic Junyan Chen, who rose to fame sweeping the prizes at the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition. Expect bittersweet melodies, lush textures and magnificent virtuosity.

La Valse follows, to celebrate Ravel’s 125th birthday. A chilling, brilliantly orchestrated social commentary on the Great War, it’s an apocryphal take on the Imperial Viennese waltz, and an absolute showstopper for the orchestra. We finish with Bartók’s equally exciting suite from The Miraculous Mandarin, banned after its scandalous first performance in Cologne in 1926 – music of brutal power, sexuality and energy, as well as ferocious majesty.

‘Junyan Chen’s vivacity and poetry was outstanding… vintage Rachmaninoff.’ – The Arts Desk

‘An exhilarating and technically thrilling performance.’ – Gramophone