Rachmaninov and Shostakovich with Kensington Symphony Orchestra: with BBC Young Musician finalist Firoze Madon at Cadogan Hall, London on Monday 30th June 2025

Rachmaninov and Shostakovich with Kensington Symphony Orchestra

with BBC Young Musician finalist Firoze Madon

Add to my Calendar 30-06-2025 19:30 30-06-2025 21:30 36 Rachmaninov and Shostakovich with Kensington Symphony Orchestra Kensington Symphony Orchestra welcomes pianist and BBC Young Musician finalist Firoze Madon for Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934) at Cadogan Hall on Monday 30 June. A set of 24 variations in A minor on the last of Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, this popular showpiece, premièred by Rachmaninov in Baltimore in 1934, is divided into three sections (corresponding to the three movements of a concerto) but is performed without a break. The piece incorporates the Dies irae melody from the medieval Mass of the Dead, but is perhaps most famous for its slow 18th variation, which has since featured on numerous film and TV soundtracks. Recognising its appeal, the Russian composer remarked: “This one is for my agent.” Music director Russell Keable also leads KSO in The Sea and the Seagulls (1911/orch. 1930), the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi’s orchestration of a piano piece from Rachmaninov’s Études Tableaux, Op.33. The concert opens with Anatoly Lyadov’s tone poem Kikimora (1909), which exhibits an exceptional flair for orchestral colour as it tells the story of a monster and its evil plans. The programme concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No.1 (1924-25). Written as his graduation piece at the Petrograd Conservatory and completed when he was just 19, the symphony, which combines drama and tragedy with liveliness and wit, was an immediate success on its première. Critics have since argued that it was influenced variously by Richard Strauss, Stravinsky’s Petrushka and the vaudeville music that Shostakovich would have heard in his time as a cinema pianist. Described as “one of the very best amateur groups in the country” by Classical Music magazine, KSO has been hailed by Classical Source for “putting on bold, adventurous programmes that few of the ‘big five’ in London would either think of or get away with”. Highlights of the 2024/25 season (see p2) include Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto with Julian Bliss at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Cadogan Hall, London DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
Sloane Square, Belgravia
London
SW1X 9DQ
England

Monday 30th June 2025
7:30 PM

Tickets

Prices: £18, £24, £30, £37
Booking line: 020 7730 4500
Book Tickets

Programme

Anatoly Lyadov – Kikimora, Op.63
Sergei Rachmaninov – The Sea and the Seagulls, Op.39 no.2
Sergei Rachmaninov – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43
~ Interval ~
Dmitry Shostakovich – Symphony no.1 in F minor, Op.10

Performers

Firoze Madon – Piano
Alan Tuckwood – Leader
Russell Keable – Conductor

Kensington Symphony Orchestra

Programme Note

Kensington Symphony Orchestra welcomes pianist and BBC Young Musician finalist Firoze Madon for Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934) at Cadogan Hall on Monday 30 June.

A set of 24 variations in A minor on the last of Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, this popular showpiece, premièred by Rachmaninov in Baltimore in 1934, is divided into three sections (corresponding to the three movements of a concerto) but is performed without a break.

The piece incorporates the Dies irae melody from the medieval Mass of the Dead, but is perhaps most famous for its slow 18th variation, which has since featured on numerous film and TV soundtracks. Recognising its appeal, the Russian composer remarked: “This one is for my agent.”

Music director Russell Keable also leads KSO in The Sea and the Seagulls (1911/orch. 1930), the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi’s orchestration of a piano piece from Rachmaninov’s Études Tableaux, Op.33.

The concert opens with Anatoly Lyadov’s tone poem Kikimora (1909), which exhibits an exceptional flair for orchestral colour as it tells the story of a monster and its evil plans.

The programme concludes with Shostakovich’s Symphony No.1 (1924-25). Written as his graduation piece at the Petrograd Conservatory and completed when he was just 19, the symphony, which combines drama and tragedy with liveliness and wit, was an immediate success on its première. Critics have since argued that it was influenced variously by Richard Strauss, Stravinsky’s Petrushka and the vaudeville music that Shostakovich would have heard in his time as a cinema pianist.

Described as “one of the very best amateur groups in the country” by Classical Music magazine, KSO has been hailed by Classical Source for “putting on bold, adventurous programmes that few of the ‘big five’ in London would either think of or get away with”. Highlights of the 2024/25 season (see p2) include Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto with Julian Bliss at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Your events at Classical Events