Shostakovich Festive Overture
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

14 October 2023 7.30pm

Philip Ellis - conductor

Martin James Bartlett - piano

Rhapsody in Blue occupies a special place in American music: it introduced jazz to classical concert audiences and simultaneously made an instant star of its composer. Martin James Bartlett recorded it with the London Philharmonic orchestra and has played it across the world to great acclaim.

As for the Rachmaninov, never has there been a symphony so rich in sweeping, majestic, extended melodies. The Finale, in a triumphant E major, begins like a whirling dance, succeeded by one of the high points of the symphony, the definitive Rachmaninov Big Tune. The glowing, eloquent theme unfolds sumptuously and a stirring coda brings the symphony to a resplendent conclusion.