English Symphony Orchestra: Russian Masterpieces

Glinka's fiery and virtuosic Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla sets the stage for an evening that sees the ESO traversing two monumental Russian works of the 1930s.

Rachmaninov the emigré crowned his unique cycle of works for piano and orchestra with his 1934 Rhapsody, a work with. the kind of abundance of melodic riches and virtuosic thrills in which Rachmaninov remains without peer.

Composed only three years later, Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony emerged from the darkest days of Stalinist repression as a form of musical testimony to the suffering and resilience of the Russian people which has made it, in the view of many music lovers worldwide, the definitive symphony of the 20th Century.