NZSO: Rachmaninov with Joyce Yang

Rachmaninov - Vocalise
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor
Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances

Praised for her ‘poetic and sensitive pianism’ and ‘wondrous sense of colour’, pianist Joyce Yang has been impressing critics and audiences alike since the age of 19.

In her NZSO debut, Yang performs Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. Famously difficult, this concerto demands an extraordinary technical virtuosity and an ability to realise the poetry at the heart of this lush and layered score.

Rachmaninov’s elegiac masterpiece, Vocalise, evokes a yearning angst deep in the composer that he must have felt even more keenly after fleeing Russia and the October Revolution. The NZSO performs the orchestral version of this achingly gorgeous work.

The Russian master described his Symphonic Dances as ‘my last spark’ and these dazzling dances have since become an orchestral favourite. Under the brilliant direction of Maestro Edo de Waart, it’s easy to hear why.