Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra 154th Tokyo Opera City Subscription Series Unofficial

The month of May is Pletnyov. In honor of the double anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), the senior Russian pianist and conductor, the 150th anniversary of his birth and the 80th anniversary of his death, the festival featured three pieces of orchestral music only. The interesting thing about each piece is its number and the year of its premiere. The "Fantasy 'The Rock,' Op. 7" was performed in 1895, "Symphonic Poem 'The Island of Death,' Op. 29," inspired by Arnold Becklin's painting of the same name, was performed in 1909, and "Symphonic Dances," Op. 45, was performed in 1941 after Rachmaninoff's exile in the U.S. This is a groundbreaking and, in a sense, innovative way to examine Rachmaninoff's long period of style change from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, without piano music. This is an epoch-making and, in a sense, scholarly programming that examines the changes in Rachmaninoff's style over a long period of time from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. (Text: Takuo Ikeda)