Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances

Conductor Karina Canellakis leads a trio of thrilling works that demonstrate the world-building power of the modern orchestra. Victoria Borisova-Ollas’s 2003 tone poem The Kingdom of Silence evokes a vibrant realm of mystery and magic. Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti brings her signature passion and precision to Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a boldly cosmopolitan showpiece that boasts traditional Russian folk tunes as well as clickety-clackety castanets and other Spanish signifiers. Symphonic Dances, the ailing Rachmaninoff’s spectacular swan song, represents the composer’s late period at its opulent best. Rich in eccentric colors, it conjures up entire galaxies of expression.