Rachmaninoff Gala

On November 4, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory hosted a festive concert dedicated to the anniversary of the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. The evening celebrated the genius of a great classical composer whose 150th anniversary was commemorated around the world in 2023. The program was presented by prize-winning pianist Anastasia Makhamendrikova. The concert featured iconic works from Rachmaninoff’s legacy that have become part of the golden repertoire of classical music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Vocalise, Symphonic Dances, and his Youth Symphony. The concert was performed with the State Kremlin Orchestra, conducted by one of Russia’s most sought-after young conductors, Konstantin Chudovsky.

The program showcased the diversity and multifaceted nature of the great composer’s legacy. The concert opened with the Youth Symphony in D minor, written by Rachmaninoff while he was still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. The evening continued with the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, an undisputed masterpiece of his later period. Written in the form of variations and requiring tremendous concentration and exceptional virtuosity from the soloist, the work became one of the composer’s signature pieces. The first half concluded with the celebrated Vocalise, a true hit of early 20th-century Romantic music. In the second half, the musicians performed Symphonic Dances, a three-movement orchestral suite that became Rachmaninoff’s final composition. Created at a turning point in history, the work can be regarded as the composer’s artistic testament, reflecting and summing up his complex life experience.

Pianist Anastasia Makhamendrikova is a student at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and a pupil of renowned pianist Vladimir Ovchinnikov. Her name is well known to classical music lovers: Anastasia has made a strong impression at numerous international and Russian competitions and festivals, including the First International Youth Competition of Classical Solo Performance Nota Bene, the 10th International Tchaikovsky Youth Competition, and the Crystal Heart of the World, Musical Ascent, Grand Prize Virtuoso (UK), Pietro Argent (Italy), and A.N. Scriabin (France) festivals, among many others. Despite her young age, she has already performed at all major concert venues in Moscow, as well as at prestigious halls around the world in the United States, England, France, Belgium, Malta, Italy, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Konstantin Chudovsky is a Russian conductor and laureate of the Triumph Youth Award (2011). He is a guest conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, Chief Conductor of Ural Opera Ballet (since 2019), and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the State Kremlin Orchestra (since 2020). He graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College, specializing in choral conducting under Professor V.A. Bogdanovskaya, and from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, specializing in opera and symphonic conducting under Professor G.N. Rozhdestvensky. His repertoire includes more than 30 opera and ballet productions, as well as symphonic works.

Founded in 2019, the State Kremlin Orchestra operates under the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. Its principal responsibilities include performing at official state events and major social and political occasions, as well as actively promoting Russian classical music.