Classical home listening - Rachmaninov comes full circle; and an ear-bending piano recital

The Guardian 0

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin shine in the composer’s first symphony. Plus, ear-bending variations from Clare Hammond

• The 1897 premiere of Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 1 is always described as “a fiasco”. Whatever the reason – one explanation is that the conductor was drunk – Rachmaninov hid it away. He quoted it at the end of his life in the Symphonic Dances (1940), dedicated to the Philadelphia Orchestra, who gave the first performance. The orchestra’s new album, Rachmaninov: Symphony No 1 and Symphonic Dances (Deutsche Grammophon), from live concerts in 2018 and 2019, pairs the two works.