A 5-hour marathon of Rachmaninoff's complete piano concertos

Sergei Vassilievitch Rachmaninoff's complete piano concertos will be performed in a five-hour marathon concert at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center by Russian pianist Denis Matsuev.

He will be joined by the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Sladkovsky, the orchestra's principle conductor and artistic director, and conductor Christopher Chen.

The concert is a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Russian composer's birth. The first half starts at 7pm, including programs of Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor," "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" and "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor."

The second half starts at 10pm, featuring "Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor" and "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor."

Ti Gong

The length of the concert will be a challenge to both the audience and the musicians, testing the pianist's stamina and mind power. During the break, music scholar Bi Yi will give a brief introduction of Rachmaninoff's life and musical career.

"You will know from his works that despite all his suffering and pain in his heart, he eventually found the light that guided him through life," Matsuev said of his feeling for Rachmaninoff's compositions. "I believe that today's people, no matter where they are, need Rachmaninoff more than ever."

Matsuev was born into a musical family and developed his talent since childhood. He has studied under Aleksey Nasedkin and Sergei Dorensky, and won the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998 at age 23.

In 2014, Matsuev was a torchbearer at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, and performed in the closing ceremony. He is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and multi-time Russian National Music Award winner.

Ti Gong

Performance info:

Date: November 3, 7pm

Tickets: 380-2,023 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center 上海东方艺术中心

Address: 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area

浦东丁香路425号