Rachmaninoffs Pianoconcert nr. 2 door Seong-Jin Cho

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

Rachmaninoff's First Symphony was savaged by the press, and the composer fell into a deep depression. Thanks to the help of a neurologist, Rachmaninoff overcame his alcoholism and writer's block. Only then was he able to put his Second Piano Concerto on paper. The concerto's popularity is understandable: it is brimming with unforgettable themes. In Russia around the turn of the century, emotional excess was the social norm, and melancholy the favorite emotion. Rachmaninoff was a child of his time. "I compose what lives in my heart, and my moods become part of my music," he once said.

Seong-Jin Cho and Semyon Bychkov

After South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho won the renowned Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2015, his career took off. He has since performed in major venues, from the Concertgebouw to Carnegie Hall in New York. The reviews speak for themselves: terms such as poetic sensitivity, refined expression, and technical sophistication abound. Together with Semyon Bychkov and his musicians from the Czech Philharmonic, Cho previously performed the Prague season opening. A brilliant combination of young talent and experienced craftsmanship.