RACHMANINOFF: A PHILHARMONIC FESTIVAL, Featuring Daniil Trifonov, Begins Tonight

The New York Philharmonic will present Rachmaninoff: A Philharmonic Festival, tonight, November 10-28, 2015, featuring 24-year-old Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov performing three of the composer's piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini over the course of three consecutive all-Rachmaninoff programs, each led by a different conductor: Cristian Macelaru (in his Philharmonic debut), Neeme Jarvi, and Ludovic Morlot.

The festival will also include a chamber program on which Mr. Trifonov will collaborate with Musicians from the New York Philharmonic, co-presented with 92nd Street Y, and a vocal concert co-presented by the Kaufman Music Center and New York Festival of Song. Rachmaninoff continues the Philharmonic's annual, multiweek festivals, an initiative Alan Gilbert introduced in his inaugural season as Music Director.

Daniil Trifonov made his Philharmonic debut in the 2012-13 season performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, led by Alan Gilbert. He returned in the 2014-15 season to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, led by Juanjo Mena. The New York Times wrote of that performance: "His sound bright and lean at the start, he brought out the work's focus, even as he gave the impression of flexibility. In the first movement, confidently varying the pulse, he wove his lines around the orchestra's. The great solo melody near the start of the slow second movement had a wandering if attentive feel, as if it were an impromptu, and Mr. Trifonov's sound took on a calm lucidity but without a hint of chill. In the finale, he gave his tone silky diaphanousness, keeping a quality of roundedness even in Rachmaninoff's most pounding runs."

"Daniil Trifonov plays with a technical ability that is jaw-dropping: he can do anything he wants, and his playing can be mysterious and captivating," said Music Director Alan Gilbert. "He wraps you around his finger and brings you along on a wild, fantastic, and sometimes terrifying journey. Exploring Rachmaninoff's breathtakingly difficult but beautifully expressive repertoire through Daniil's performances is sure to be an adventure."

"My Philharmonic debut was a special experience and a great honor. I was captivated by the energy, and it was really enjoyable music-making," said Daniil Trifonov. "The Rachmaninoff cycle will be an exciting adventure. Each of his concertos has a particular atmosphere: in the Second Concerto, his suffering gave birth to amazing music; the first movement of the Third Concerto is one of the most substantial works he ever wrote; the harmonic courage of the Fourth Concerto, where he searches for a new language, is captivating; and in the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini there is a sense of something lost and a sense of perfection."

Rachmaninoff himself appeared as a soloist with either the New York Philharmonic or the New York Symphony (the two orchestras that merged in 1928 to form the modern Philharmonic) in 41 performances between 1909 and 1942, including numerous performances of his concertos.

Week I

In the festival's opening orchestral program, Daniil Trifonov is spotlighted in both Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Piano Concerto No. 2, and the Orchestra performs The Isle of the Dead, conducted by Cristian Ma?celaru in his Philharmonic debut, Wednesday, November 11, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 14 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. The November 12 performance will be broadcast live on WQXR, New York's classical station, at 105.9 FM and wqxr.org at 7:30 p.m. Rachmaninoff was soloist with the Philharmonic for the New York Premiere of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934. The composer was also the soloist for the 1901 World Premiere, in Moscow, of his Piano Concerto No. 2.

On November 10, 2015, Kaufman Music Center and the New York Festival of Song will co- present From Russia to Riverside Drive: Rachmaninoff and Friends, a vocal concert at Merkin Concert Hall featuring Rachmaninoff's Russian songs and the music he heard during his years in America, including works by Gershwin, Ellington, Schillinger, and others, performed by soprano Dina Kuznetsova, baritone Shea Owens, thereminist Dalit Warshaw, and pianists and hosts Steven Blier and Michael Barrett.

Week II

The festival's second program features Daniil Trifonov in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 4 and the Orchestra performing Symphony No. 1 and Russian Song, Op. 11, No. 3 (orchestrated by A. Leytush), led by Neeme Ja?rvi, Thursday, November 19, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m. These concerts mark the New York Philharmonic's first performance of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony.

The festival will also include a chamber music program at 92nd Street Y, which is co- presenting the concert, November 22, 2015. The program will feature Rachmaninoff's String Quartet No. 1 (unfinished), String Quartet No. 2 (unfinished), and Trio ele?giaque No. 2 in D minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, performed by Daniil Trifonov and Principal Associate Concertmaster Sheryl Staples, Assistant Concertmaster Michelle Kim, Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps, and Principal Cello Carter Brey.

Week III

The festival concludes with Daniil Trifonov in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and the Orchestra performing the Symphonic Dances, conducted by Ludovic Morlot, Tuesday, November 24, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 27 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 28 at 8:00 p.m. Rachmaninoff was soloist in the concerto's World Premiere with the New York Symphony (which would merge with the New York Philharmonic in 1928 to form today's New York Philharmonic) in 1909, conducted by Walter Damrosch; it was so well received that the composer-pianist repeated the performance two months later with the Philharmonic, led by Gustav Mahler. Rachmaninoff recalled that Mahler "touched my composer's heart straight away by devoting himself to my Concerto until the accompaniment, which is rather complicated, had been practiced to the point of perfection ... according to Mahler, every detail of the score was important - an attitude which is unfortunately rare amongst conductors."

The Saturday Matinee Concert on November 28 at 2:00 p.m. opens with Nicola Ferro's Tarando and arrangements of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture, Albinoni's Sonata Saint Mark, and Bernstein's On the Town Suite performed by the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet - comprising Acting Principal Trumpet Matthew Muckey, Acting Associate Prinicpal Trumpet Ethan Bensdorf, Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi, Associate Principal Horn Richard Deane, and Principal Tuba Alan Baer - followed by Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, conducted by Ludovic Morlot.

Related Events:

- Philharmonic Free Fridays
The New York Philharmonic is offering 100 free tickets for young people ages 13-26 to the concerts Friday, November 13 and Friday, November 27 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays. Information is available at nyphil.org/freefridays. Philharmonic Free Fridays offers 100 free tickets to 13-26-year-olds to each of the 2015-16 season's 15 Friday evening subscription concerts.

- Pre-Concert Insights
Composer Joelle Wallach will introduce the program November 11-14 and 17; author, pianist, and professor Arbie Orenstein will introduce the program November 19-21; musicologist and professor Elizabeth Seitz will introduce the program November 24 and 27- 28. Pre-Concert Insights are $7, and discounts are available for three (3) or more talks and for students. They take place one hour before these performances in the Helen Hull Room, unless otherwise noted. Attendance is limited to 90 people. Information: nyphil.org/preconcert or (212) 875-5656.

Artists

Combining consummate technique with rare sensitivity, Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov has made a spectacular ascent to classical stardom. Since taking First Prize at both the Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein competitions in 2011 at the age of 20, he has appeared with most of the world's foremost orchestras and given solo recitals at many of its most prestigious venues. Following the release of Rachmaninov Variations, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon with The Philadelphia Orchestra, in the 2015-16 season Mr. Trifonov is spotlighted in both the New York Philharmonic's Rachmaninoff: A Philharmonic Festival and the Philharmonia Orchestra's Rachmaninov Piano Concerto Cycle. He also plays Rachmaninoff concertos in debuts with the Berlin Staatskapelle, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (where he anchors the Nobel Prize Concert), Philadelphia Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, and Orchestre National de Lyon, and on the Czech Philharmonic's tour of Asia. He is performing Prokofiev in his Montreal Symphony debut and returns to the Orchestre National de France and London Symphony Orchestra, and Chopin with the San Francisco Symphony, Tchaikovsky with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, and Liszt with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at home and on a North European tour. An accomplished composer, Mr. Trifonov reprises his own acclaimed piano concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony. In addition to making his Los Angeles recital debut, he undertakes a European recital tour and residencies in Lugano and at London's Wigmore Hall. Last season saw the release of Trifonov: The Carnegie Recital, the pianist's first recording as an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, which scored a Grammy nomination and an ECHO Klassik Award. His discography also features a Chopin album for Decca and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. Born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1991, Daniil Trifonov studied at Moscow's Gnessin School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2013 he won Italy's Franco Abbiati Prize for Best Instrumental Soloist. Daniil Trifonov made his New York Philharmonic debut in September 2012 performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, led by Music Director Alan Gilbert. During the 2014-15 season he returned to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Philharmonic, led by Juanjo Mena.

Winner of the 2014 Solti Conducting Award, Cristian Ma?celaru is conductor-in-residence of The Philadelphia Orchestra, with which he made his unexpected subscription debut in April 2013. He has since conducted four of its subscription programs, and leads another in the 2015- 16 season. Other season highlights include his Lincoln Center debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival, as well as this New York Philharmonic debut. He returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and National Symphony Orchestra. Internationally, he makes debuts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National, Dublin's RTE National Symphony, and Tokyo's Metropolitan Symphony orchestras. In North America, his debuts include the Atlanta, Cincinnati, New World, and San Diego symphony orchestras, Minnesota Orchestra, and National Arts Centre Orchestra. Cristian Ma?celaru made his first appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2012, leading a work alongside Valery Gergiev in a Georg Solti Centennial Celebration, and in 2015 he made his full Carnegie debut leading the Danish National Symphony Orchestra with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. In June 2015 he made his Cincinnati Opera debut in highly acclaimed performances of Verdi's Il Trovatore. An accomplished violinist from an early age, Christian Ma?celaru was the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Miami Symphony Orchestra, and played in the first violin section of the Houston Symphony for two seasons. After participating in the conducting programs of the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival and School, he received the Sir Georg Solti Emerging Conductor Award in 2012. He completed undergraduate studies in violin performance at the University of Miami and subsequently studied with Larry Rachleff at Rice University, where he received master's degrees in conducting and violin performance.

The head of a musical dynasty, Neeme Ja?rvi is one of today's most respected maestros and has amassed a discography of almost 500 recordings. Over his long and highly successful career he has worked with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras, and continues to have regular relationships with the NHK, Shanghai, and Singapore symphony orchestras. Mr. Ja?rvi has held positions with ensembles across the world, and is currently artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, music director emeritus with both the Residentie Orkest and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, principal conductor emeritus of the Gothenburg Symphony, conductor laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and head of conducting/artistic advisor of the Gstaad Conducting Academy. Until the summer of 2015 he was artistic and music director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and ended his tenure with a European tour. Having recorded with Chandos for more than 30 years, his latest disc is A Festival of Fuci?k with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Other recent releases include Tchaikovsky's complete ballets with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as works by Joachim Raff, Massenet, Chabrier, Saint-Sae?ns, Atterberg, Suchon, and Xaver Scharwenka. His discography also includes critically acclaimed complete orchestral cycles of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Dvor?a?k, Glazunov, Grieg, Sibelius, Nielsen, and Brahms. He has championed less widely known composers such as Wilhelm Stenhammar, Hugo Alfve?n, and Niels Gade; Franz Berwald, Johann Svendsen, and Johan Halvorsen of Norway; and composers from his native Estonia including Rudolf Tobias, Artur Kapp, Eduard Tubin, and Arvo Pa?rt. He has also recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, BIS, and EMI throughout his career. Neeme Ja?rvi's international awards and accolades include an honorary doctorate from the Music Academy of Estonia in Tallinn and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the President of the Republic of Estonia, Mr. Lennart Meri. The Mayor of Tallinn presented Mr. Ja?rvi with the city's first-ever ceremonial sash and coat of arms insignia, and he has been named one of the Estonians of the Century. He holds an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Detroit's Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, honorary doctorates from the University of Aberdeen and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and has received the Commander of the North Star Order from King Karl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Neeme Ja?rvi made his New York Philharmonic debut in February 1980 leading an all-Sibelius program; his most recent appearance was in November 2010, conducting works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Zemlinsky.

French conductor Ludovic Morlot is the music director of the Seattle Symphony. During the 2014-15 season, he led the orchestra in Mozart's Requiem, Dvor?a?k's last three symphonies, Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet, and Mahler's Symphony No. 3; works by Ives, Dutilleux, and Esa- Pekka Salonen; and premieres by Sebastian Currier, Julian Anderson, and Trimpin. In the 2015- 16 season Mr. Morlot conducts the Atlanta Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Curtis Symphony orchestras, as well as, internationally, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Geneva Camerata. He has a strong connection with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which he conducts regularly in Boston and Tanglewood, and recently led on a West Coast tour. This relationship started when he was the Tanglewood Music Center's Seiji Ozawa Fellowship Conductor and subsequently appointed assistant conductor for the orchestra and its music director James Levine (2004-07). While chief conductor of (2012-14), he conducted several new productions including Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, Jenu?fa, and Debussy's Pelle?as et Me?lisande. Concert performances in Brussels and Aix-en-Provenceincluded works by Beethoven, Stravinsky, Britten, Webern, and Bruneau. He has conducted The Philadelphia, and Cleveland Orchestras, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw, London Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Budapest Festival, Orchestre National de France, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Trained as a violinist, Ludovic Morlot studied conducting in London and was conductor-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon (2002-04). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2014. He is chair of orchestral conducting studies at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle. Ludovic Morlot made his New York Philharmonic debut in March 2006 leading works by Carter, Schumann, and Brahms. He most recently led works by Musorgsky, Walton, and Ravel in June 2011, then joined the Orchestra for its Bravo! Vail residency that July.

Violinist Sheryl Staples joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Associate Concertmaster, The Elizabeth G. Beinecke Chair, in September 1998. She made her solo debut with the Orchestra in 1999 performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, led by Kurt Masur. Since then she has been featured in more than 25 performances with the Philharmonic in concertos by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, and Vivaldi with conductors including Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, Jeffrey Kahane, and Colin Davis. Most recently, she performed Mozart's Sinfonia concertante with Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps, led by Jaap van Zweden in November 2014. Previously she was the associate concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra and concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony and Santa Barbara Chamber orchestras. She has appeared as soloist with more than 45 orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ms. Staples has participated in the La Jolla, Boston, Salt Bay, Santa Fe, Mainly Mozart, and Aspen chamber music festivals. She was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio, and she currently frequently performs in the New York area in venues including Merkin Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ms. Staples is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard Pre-College Division, and The Juilliard School. She performs on the "Kartman" Guarnerius del Gesu?, c. 1728.

Violinist Michelle Kim has been Assistant Concertmaster, The William Petschek Family Chair, of the New York Philharmonic since 2001. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Philharmonic, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and Pacific Symphony. An active chamber musician, Ms. Kim has collaborated with violinists Cho Liang Lin, Christian Tetzlaff, and Pinchas Zukerman; cellists Mstislav Rostropovich, Lynn Harrell, and Gary Hoffman; and pianists Lang Lang and Yefim Bronfman. She has performed at various festivals including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Chamber Music Festival, Strings in the Mountain, and Bravo! Vail. Ms. Kim has also served as the first violinist of the Rossetti String Quartet, and was a Sterne Virtuoso Artist at Skidmore College in 2007-08. A student of Robert Lipsett and a former Presidential Scholar, Ms. Kim attended the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music as a Starling Foundation scholarship recipient, and considers Heiichiro Ohyama and Henry Gronnier as her mentors. She has been a member of the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music, the Colburn School, and the University of California Santa Barbara, and currently teaches at the Mannes College of Music.

Cynthia Phelps is the New York Philharmonic's Principal Viola, The Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair. Highlights of her solo appearances with the Orchestra have included performances on the 2006 Tour of Italy, sponsored by Generali, performances of Mozart's Sinfonia concertante in 2010 and 2014, and Sofia Gubaidulina's Two Paths in 2011, which the Orchestra commissioned for her and Philharmonic Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young and which was premiered in 1999. Other solo engagements have included the Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfo?nica de Bilbao, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Ms. Phelps performs with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jupiter Chamber Players, and the festivals of Santa Fe, La Jolla, Seattle, Chamber Music Northwest, and Bridgehampton. She has appeared with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Orion, American, Brentano, and Prague Quartets, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. She has given recitals in the major music capitals of Europe and the U.S., and her honors include First Prize in both the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the Washington National Competition. Winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, Ms. Phelps's most recent recording, Air, for flute, harp and viola, was nominated for a Grammy Award. She has performed as soloist on Live From Lincoln Center, American Public Media's Saint Paul Sunday Morning, Radio France, and RAI in Italy.

Carter Brey was appointed Principal Cello, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Chair, of the New York Philharmonic in 1996. He has since performed as soloist with the Orchestra each season and gave two performances of the cycle of all six of Bach's cello suites during The Bach Variations: A Philharmonic Festival in March 2013. His honors include the Rostropovich International Cello Competition, Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Prize, Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Young Concert Artists' Michaels Award; he was the first musician to win the Arts Council of America's Performing Arts Prize. Mr. Brey has appeared as soloist with virtually all of the major American orchestras, performing under the batons of conductors Claudio Abbado, Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Comissiona, and Christoph von Dohna?nyi. He has collaborated regularly with the Tokyo and Emerson String Quartets, in the Spoleto Festivals in the United States and in Italy, and in the Santa Fe and La Jolla Chamber Music Festivals. His most recent recording features Chopin's complete works for cello and piano with pianist Garrick Ohlsson. Mr. Brey was educated at the Peabody Institute and at Yale University, where he was a Wardwell Fellow and a Houpt Scholar. His cello is a rare J.B. Guadagnini made in Milan in 1754.

The New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet enjoys worldwide exposure and an international reputation. The members of the group are Philharmonic Acting Principal Trumpet Matthew Muckey, Acting Associate Principal Trumpet Ethan Bensdorf, Associate Principal Horn Richard Deane, Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi, and Principal Tuba Alan Baer. The ensemble's debut came at the invitation of the Canadian Brass, when they joined that ensemble in a 1983 concert in Ottawa, Canada. The two groups have since collaborated at the summer festivals of Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, Great Woods, and Mostly Mozart; with their brass colleagues from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra on five recordings and one educational video; and for performances in cities throughout Canada and the United States. Since 1995 the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet has hosted an annual New York Philharmonic Christmas Holiday Concert at Lincoln Center. Its guests have included groups such as the Canadian Brass and the German Brass. The Principal Brass Quintet also joined forces with the Salvation Army's New York Staff Band in two Gala Festivals at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. In addition, the Principal Brass Quintet performed with the Empire Brass at the Carnegie Hall Centennial Gala in May 1991. The New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet has been a regular encore feature on the Orchestra's tours, with appearances in Europe, South America, Asia, and in the U.S., as well as at the Orchestra's residencies in Cagliari, Italy and Vail, Colorado; the group also represented the Philharmonic for special occasions such as the opening of the Upper West Side Apple Store (in 2009), the opening of UNIQLO's Fifth Avenue flagship store (2014), and a free performance at Zurich's Main Station as part of the Orchestra's EUROPE / SPRING 2013 tour. The ensemble has performed solo concerts throughout the U.S. and Japan, and in the cities of Luxembourg, Monterrey (Mexico).

Repertoire, November 10

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) set out two write a string quartet on two occasions, and both times he stopped after writing only two movements. He began his first attempt, the String Quartet No. 1 (unfinished), while a student at the Moscow Conservatory, probably around 1890. He finished half of what would have been a traditional four-movement quartet, producing a miniature that foreshadows the much grander works that would make Rachmaninoff famous. The Romance: Andante, favors the violin with a gentle, graceful melody, sometimes echoed by the cello and supported by an accompaniment presented by the second violin and viola; while the third movement, Finale: Presto, shows influences of Tchaikovsky and Borodin.

Rachmaninoff made his second attempt at writing a quartet circa 1896, and again did not finish. The two movements of the String Quartet No. 2 (unfinished), Allegro moderato and Andante molto sostenuto, tip their hat to Tchaikovsky, and place more weight on melody than the First Quartet. Featuring intriguing moments and especially expressive passacaglia, the short work is yet another example of the young Rachmaninoff developing his rich, emotional style.

Rachmaninoff composed his Trio e?le?giaque No. 2 in D minor while only 20 years old in memory of Tchaikovsky, who had recently died at the age of 53, and who had helped Rachmaninoff get his first opera, Aleka, produced. The trio is modeled on the three-movement structure of Tchaikovsky's trio, which was also dedicated to someone who had passed away: Nikolai Rubenstein. Rachmaninoff completed the work in December 1893, and he performed the piano part for its January 1894 Moscow premiere. Already bearing many of Rachmaninoff's familiar compositional hallmarks, the piano part also reflects the composer's standing as a virtuoso pianist, and the demanding part includes an extended cadenza-like passage.

Repertoire, November 11-14 and 17

Rachmaninoff composed The Isle of the Dead in 1909, inspired by Arnold Bo?cklin's famous symbolist painting of the same name. The painting depicts a mysterious, dreamlike island with high rock cliffs containing burial chambers, where a boat navigated by a black-clad helmsman is conveying an enshrouded passenger to the shore. Rachmaninoff's symphonic poem creates a similarly ominous atmosphere. The score is built on a slowly rocking motif that suggests the quiet lapping of the water and the inexorable progression of the boat. The composer also quotes the somber motivic theme of the Dies irae, the melody used in the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead. The New York Philharmonic first performed the work in January 1919, led by Joseph Stransky; it was most recently performed in June 2011, conducted by David Robertson.

In 1934 Rachmaninoff used the last of Niccolo? Paganini's notoriously difficult 24 Caprices for Solo Violin (1805) as the basis for his 24 variations for piano and orchestra, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Rachmaninoff premiered the work with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski shortly after its completion, and it became his signature piece, which he performed often and to great acclaim. A pianist known for his long, slender fingers and formidable hand span (which reached a 13-note interval), even he admitted this work was a challenge: "The composition is very difficult, and I should start practicing it." The 24 variations fall into roughly three movement-like groups: Variations 1-11, 12-18, and the final 19-24. Highlights include the 7th, with its echoes of the medieval chant Dies irae (Day of Wrath); the ultra-romantic 18th, which is Paganini's theme turned upside down; and the conclusion, which wraps up a bombastic finale with a sly, soft "curlicue." Rachmaninoff himself was the soloist for the Philharmonic's first performance of the Rhapsody for its 1934 New York Premiere, led by Bruno Walter. Most recently, Bramwell Tovey conducted the work with the Philharmonic featuring Anne-Marie McDermott as soloist in July 2015 during the Orchestra's annual Bravo! Vail summer residency.

After the dismal reception received by his Symphony No. 1 in 1897, Rachmaninoff (still in his early 20s) began to give more emphasis to his career as a concert pianist and conductor. For a few years we would attempt a return to composition, but with mixed results. Then, in 1901, he finally produced the Piano Concerto No. 2, which has become one of the most celebrated piano concertos of the 20th century. Asked about this sudden reversal of fortune, the composer said he had undergone hypnotherapy. The work was the first in a string of triumphs that continued with the Symphony No. 2 and the Piano Concerto No. 3. The Piano Concerto No. 2 was first performed by the New York Symphony (which would merge with the New York Philharmonic in 1928 to form today's New York Philharmonic) in December 1914, led by Walter Damrosch, with Ossip Gabrilowitsch as soloist; the Philharmonic most recently performed it in December 2012, led by Juraj Valc?uha and featuring Andre? Watts as soloist.

Repertoire, November 19-21

Rachmaninoff's Russian Song, Op. 11, No. 3 (1894) is the third "The?me russe" of his collection of Six Pieces, or Six Morceaux, for piano four hands, Op. 11, which he wrote following his time at the Moscow Conservatory. This short piece reflects the sound of his home nation, comprising a simple, melancholy folk-song melody that is repeated again and again as a theme and variations, gradually broadening and increasing in power. This orchestral version was orchestrated by Russian-born conductor Arkady Leytush in 2011. These performances mark the New York Philharmonic's first of this work.

Rachmaninoff began his Piano Concerto No. 4 (1926; rev. 1927/41) at his winter headquarters - an apartment in New York City - where he withdrew to begin a sabbatical from the concert hall to return to composing. It had been some eight years since he had completed a major composition. As was his habit, he began his new work in secret, but his progress was impeded and he was unable to complete the work until the following summer in Dresden at a health resort overlooking the Elba. The work received its premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra in March 1927, with Rachmaninoff as soloist, and received its New York Premiere several days later. The audience's response was enthusiastic, but critical reactions were cool. Rachmaninoff was so discouraged that he soon stopped playing the work in public, and it was over a decade before he could attempt the revisions he felt were necessary. The revised version was premiered in 1941. The first Philharmonic performance of the concerto was in April 1954, led by Dimitri Mitropoulos, featuring Leonid Hambro as soloist, and was most recently performed in June 2004, conducted by Lorin Maazel and featuring Yefim Bronfman as soloist.

In 1897 the young Rachmaninoff listened in horror as a possibly drunk Alexander Glazunov conducted the disastrous, under-rehearsed premiere of his Symphony No. 1; Rachmaninoff called it "the most agonizing hour of my life." He was so scarred by the event that he had a psychological collapse: it was two years before he was able to compose again (the first work he wrote ended up being his much-loved Second Piano Concerto), and ten years until he was able to face working on his Second Symphony. Comprising four movements, the First Symphony is thematically connected by two ideas that appear throughout the work: a simple original motf, and another derived from the Requiem mass's Dies irae. Rachmaninoff's own score was lost, but the orchestral parts were discovered during World War II, and the symphony received its second performance in 1945. These performances mark the New York Philharmonic's first of this work.

Repertoire, November 24 and 27-28

Rachmaninoff composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 in 1909 just before leaving Russia for his first concert in the United States. The New York Symphony (which would merge with the New York Philharmonic in 1928 to become today's New York Philharmonic) gave the concerto's World Premiere in November 1909, with Walter Damrosch conducting and the composer at the piano; it was subsequently performed in January 1910, this time with Gustav Mahler conducting the New York Philharmonic. The piece quickly gained popularity, although some critics found it overly long and all agreed with The New York Herald that "its great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performance by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers." It was last performed by the Philharmonic in November 2012, with Nikolai Lugansky as soloist and Charles Dutoit conducting.

Rachmaninoff began work on the Symphonic Dances during the summer of 1940, following two years of compositional inactivity. Always juggling his overlapping careers as pianist, composer, and conductor, he had grown frustrated with the public failure of several of his large- scale compositions in the 1930s. A summer residence near Huntington, Long Island, however, provided him with the ideal circumstances to renew contact with his muse, and by August he had informed conductor Eugene Ormandy of the completion of a new symphonic work, originally titled Fantastic Dances. It turned out to be Rachmaninoff's final symphonic composition - he died less than three years later, in 1943. As such, the Symphonic Dances is a synthesis of some of his chief influences - Orthodox chant motifs, Prokofiev-like theatricality, and experimentation with color. The New York Philharmonic first performed the work in December 1942, led by Dimitri Mitropoulos; it most recently performed the work in November 2012, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert.

Tickets for these performances start at $30. Tickets for From Russia to Riverside Drive: Rachmaninoff and Friends may be purchased online at 92y.org/Event/Daniil-Trifonov or by calling (212) 501-3330. Tickets for the November 22 chamber music program at 92nd Street Y may be purchased at kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/buy-tickets/ or by calling (212) 415-5500. Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $20. Pre-Concert Insights are $7 (visit nyphil.org/preconcert for more information). Tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the David Geffen Hall Box Office. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. A limited number of $16 tickets for select concerts may be available through the Internet for students within 10 days of the performance, or in person the day of. Valid identification is required. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. (Ticket prices subject to change.)

Pictured: Daniil Trifonov performing with the New York Philharmonic. Photo by Chris Lee.