Boris Berezovsky plays Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov – With Dmitri Makhtin and Alexander Kniazev

The concert’s title is a poignant reference to an event from 2002: on May 5th of that year, Berezovsky was programmed to play with Maestro Svetlanov for the first time, but the maestro suddenly passed away on two days before, leaving the pianist to lead the orchestra alone in the performance. In the first part of this evening’s program, Berezovsky and the orchestra honor that sad day with an interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, also without a conductor. One of the Tchaikovsky’s most beloved concertos and best-known works, it was written for Nikolai Rubinstein, who originally heavily criticized the piece but later become one of its most fervent champions. In the second half, violinist Dmitri Makhtin and cellist Alexander Kniazev join Berzovsky for a performance of Rachmaninov’s Trio élégiaque No. 2, composed in memory of Tchaikovsky, who had been his much admired and appreciated mentor.