Portuguese Symphony Orchestra

In this concert, we’ll hear two 20th-century composers who never failed to express their deep fascination with Russian culture.

By Igor Stravinsky, we’ll hear the music written in 1911 for the ballet Pétrouchka. Russian folk music is at the heart of this score, with its intoxicating rhythms and thick polyphony.

Stravinsky had also inherited from Rimsky-Korsakov the ability to make the orchestra an instrument of brilliance and enchantment. The composer revised it in 1947 and created a concert suite that utilized much of the ballet’s music. Considered one of the most important works of the 20th century, Pétrouchka continues to be recorded and performed by the most famous conductors and orchestras. Its modernity remains stunning.

Rachmaninov thrived on the same Russian terrain as Stravinsky. He was one of the greatest pianists of all time, a «curse» that clouded his figure a little as a composer. He was accused of being musically conservative, despite the appeal and popularity of his production. His works also often cite traditional Russian melodies. The Symphonic Dances, op. 45, his last composition, was premiered in January 1941 in the USA, his country of exile. The third and final dance refers to the Orthodox liturgical repertoire.