BSO: Romantic Rhapsody

Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody, a brilliant showpiece for virtuoso pianist, is probably the most admired of his works. An exercise of both compositional and pianistic prowess, it embodies his late style at its brilliant and witty best and has one of the world’s most irresistible melodies. Moments of Romantic outpourings hurtle towards a typical grandiose conclusion, but at the last moment it wittily becomes a whisper and ends impishly. Although his earlier works had shown flashes of what was to come, the Eroica was Beethoven’s first truly Romantic composition. It opens with two staggering chords that announce to the world the arrival of a new talent, a forceful personality, a man never to be forgotten. From that point on Beethoven was no mere composer – he was a creator of monuments. Strauss’ tone poem is a blend of sonata form and rondo. With Don Juan’s swashbuckling theme and the fountain of semi-quavers that opens the work, it exemplifies his exhilarating orchestral virtuosity.