The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin Music Director

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 marked the composer's triumphant recovery from the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony. While some elements are familiar thanks to movie soundtracks and pop songs, the Concerto as a whole is a testament to Rachmaninoff's brilliance as a composer and pianist. Haochen Zhang is a worthy interpreter of this masterwork: Not yet 30, he's renowned for dazzling technique and thoughtful interpretation. Strauss's Alpine Symphony was inspired by a trek up a mountain, from pre-dawn darkness to deepening nightfall. The extra large orchestra is heavy on woodwinds, brass, and percussion, the better for Strauss to evoke waterfalls, grazing cattle, and even yodels. An extraordinary work by a master of the tone poem.