Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto is one of classical music’s greatest comeback stories. Composed after a crippling period of depression and writer’s block, the piece overflows with Rachmaninoff’s hard-won confidence, victory, and profound lyricism. Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, hailing from one of Britain’s most musical families, makes her Hollywood Bowl and LA Phil debuts as she reprises her 2024 Classic FM Live performance of the much-loved concerto. Maestra Gemma New bookends the program with John Adams’ joyfully exuberant Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, which is not only his final composition, but one of his most frequently performed and adored tours de force. “I don't know how it happened. It must have been my last spark,” he said.
