Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Rachmaninov's First Piano Concerto was composed while he was a student at the Moscow Conservatoire, then fully reworked before he left Russia in 1917 and again in 1919. It is hard to explain why it never achieved a higher level of popularity - it has all of the melodic beauty, passion and brilliance found throughout the composer's music. The Fourth Piano Concerto was much revised after harsh criticism at it's premiere but it occupies a unique place in Rachmaninov's oeuvre, showing a progression from lush Romanticism towards the muscular transparency of his later works. The electrifying Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a concerto in all but name - the work's sense of fun and demonic bravura has ensured it's place among the most-loved and often performed works for piano and orchestra.