On October 30 and 31 at Rosey Concert Hall in Rolle, Switzerland, the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra (RIO) gave its first public performances in concerts commemorating the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth. The new orchestra is composed of preeminent musicians from Russia, Ukraine, and Europe, including many impacted by the wars in Ukraine and Israel.
The orchestra’s name was inspired by composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, who left Russia at the onset of the Bolshevik Revolution and never returned. RIO founder Mikhail Pletnev and many of the RIO musicians left Russia due to similar political forces. The new orchestra stands as a testament of the power of art to unite people and overcome oppression.
The concerts featured Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos, plus his de facto fifth, the dazzling Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—some of the most challenging and satisfying works in the classical repertoire. The program also included excerpts from the opera Plump Jack by celebrated American composer Gordon Getty, with soprano Alexandra Armantrading and baritone Lester Lynch.
Pletnev was at the piano, and legendary maestro Kent Nagano conducted. The concerts were recorded by San Francisco Classical Recording Company and will be released in early 2024 by EuroArts. The programs are available for viewing on the medici. tv channel.
“THE FOUNDATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORCHESTRA IS ‘HOW CAN WE RESPOND TO THIS CRISIS?’ WE ARE MUSICIANS; WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING. AND, DEFINITELY, THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LOVE, MORE GOOD, MORE HARMONY, AND THIS IS HOW WE TRY TO BRING IT TO WHOEVER IS WILLING TO LISTEN.”
– RIO GENERAL MANAGER SERGEY MARKOV
Guests from the United States traveled to Switzerland for the RIO premiere, one of this year’s most significant classical music events, as part of a trip organized by Festival Napa Valley. They enjoyed a week of adventure, fine dining, rare wines, and world class music set amid the grandeur of Switzerland where they visited intriguing sites such as the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and CERN, where scientists research the origins of the universe. Getty led the group. Joining him on the musical adventure were Athena and Timothy Blackburn, Maria Manetti Shrem, Romana Bracco, Claire and Steven Stull, Latife Hayson, Kathleen Martinez and José Luis Nazar, Marianne Wyman, Jim Colias, Liz and Will Stewart, Nicolle Foland, and Rick Walker.
