Rachmaninoff, Schmidt – Semyon Bychkov, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kirill Gerstein

“Gerstein’s blistering technique is matched only by his deeply soulful connection to standard repertoire,” the Time out New York says about the Russian pianist. With the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Gerstein testified to these qualities: He put emphasis on expression and effect in Sergei Rachmaninov‘s Second Piano Concerto.

Thus, the concerto gained a new life in music, whose impact can sometimes be blunted by its own popularity: Finely balancing constructive rigor and thoughtfulness this performance becomes a fresh, fruitful artistic joint venture.

Segei Rachmaninoff
Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2
Franz Schmidt
Symphony No. 2

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Semyon Bychkov, conductor
Kirill Gerstein, piano