Second Piano Concerto by Rachmaninov

The opening chords of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto have lost none of their power or emotional value one hundred and twenty-five years after the premiere. The stalwart return of a composer whose First Symphony had been burned down by critics already coalesces in those first few bars. The Radio Philharmonic Orchestra revives that triumph with Vadym Kholodenko behind the grand piano.

Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko made a name for himself some ten years ago by winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He has since impressed internationally with his seasoned playing. Critics praise his "stunning pianism," and the "poignant way he compels listening.

After Rachmaninov's powerful notes, it is delightful to dream away at Zemlinsky's symphonic poem about the Little Mermaid. He supposedly wrote the work to cure Alma Schindler, Mahler's later wife. She called the composer "a man with no chin, small, bulging eyes and deadly ugly," but took lessons from him and made advances. It came to nothing, and Zemlinsky wrote off the heartbreak with Die Seejungfrau.