London Philharmonic Orchestra: Valentine's Day Classics

Dvorˇák Carnival Overture
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Wagner Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture)

Stuart Stratford conductor
Sa Chen piano

So deep was Rachmaninoff’s crisis of confidence following the failure of his First Symphony that the composer wrote nothing for two years. But after a pioneering course of hypnotherapy, Rachmaninoff’s psychiatrist promised him that he would ‘work freely and easily.’ The doctor was right. Rachmaninoff duly delivered his most rapturous piece to date, a work that heralded the rich, romantic but melancholic style with which he would make his name – his Second Piano Concerto. Our Valentine’s Day programme also includes Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet overture – a sound-picture of the star-crossed lovers containing one of the most famous tunes ever written.