The Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov, considered by many to be the natural successor to Tchaikovsky, was responsible for some of the most powerful romantic works written in the first part of the 20th century. His first popular success came in 1892 with the Prelude in C sharp minor for solo piano, but it was his Second Piano Concerto (1901) that fully established him as a major composer. Its haunting themes are heard in the famous films Brief Encounter and The Seven Year Itch, and music from the Third Piano Concerto (1909) makes a profound impression in the film Shine. Extracts from these and Rachmaninov’s other main compositions are performed by leading artists including the pianists Leif Ove Andsnes, Vladimir Ovchinikov, Cécile Ousset and Andrei Gavrilov, the singers Natalie Dessay and Nicolai Gedda, and the conductors Sir Simon Rattle, André Previn, Mariss Jansons and Stephen Cleobury

Artists

Cécile Ousset (piano), Natalie Dessay (soprano), John Ogdon (piano), Jean-Philippe Collard (piano), Natalie Clein (cello), Charles Owen (piano), Gerald Moore (piano), Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Agustin Anievas (piano), Vladimir Ovchinikov (piano), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Dimitri Kharitonov (baritone), Andrei Gavrilov (piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester, Choir of King's College Cambridge, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Schønwandt, Stephen Cleobury, Mariss Jansons, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, André Previn, Paavo Berglund