Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) composed his 1st Concerto while a teenaged student in 1889-90 and revised it in 1917, applying his acquired knowledge of harmony, technique and orchestration, but retaining the concerto’s youthful vivacity and impetuosity. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Grieg is clear. The 1st mvmt opens with a fanfare and a fiery piano entrance followed by the lyric main theme. The 2nd mvmt has sweeping Romantic melodies. The 3rd mvmt is “demonic and thrilling,” but contains a luscious middle melody.

Rachmaninoff composed his more famous Piano Concerto No. 3 at his family’s country estate, Ivanovka, in 1909. It begins with a beautiful, nostalgic, unmistakably Russian theme, and explodes into fireworks and grandeur. The tender and melancholy 2nd mvmt consists of variations, and leads without pause to the rhapsodic 3rd mvmt, which ends in triumph and passion.