Lahav Shani conducts Prokofiev and Rachmaninov — With Martha Argerich

Prokofiev's Third is a fiendishly difficult concerto, demanding spontaneity and deliberation, playfulness and profundity, lightning dexterity and formidable strength. Argerich makes it look effortless: her interpretation, polished to gleaming perfection over the decades (with rapturous acclaim and a Grammy to show for it), feels freer and more essential than ever.

The prodigious Shani, recently named Rotterdam’s youngest ever Chief Conductor, is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker, whom he leads here in Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. The great composer’s final work, self-referential and ecclesiastically inspired, is a gorgeous summation of his oeuvre, brimming with bold instrumentation and lush harmonies.