Under the virtuosic fingers of pianist Nicholas Angelich, the full force of Rachmaninoff’s last two piano concertos, to be performed in alternation, is revealed. The fourth incorporates elements of jazz and impressionism that mesh well with the exiled Russian composer’s percussive style, while the third is absolutely enthralling. The heritage of Beethoven and Bruckner as well as Tchaikovsky’s melodic inspiration are heard in the opening clarinet solo and powerful, fluent universe of Sibelius’s first symphony.
