When Sergey Rachmaninov composed his evocative 脡tudes-Tableaux (鈥楽tudy-Pictures鈥�) for piano, he kept his inspirations to himself, hoping that audiences would imagine their own pictures instead. Almost twenty years later, when Italian composer Ottorino Respighi set out to orchestrate a selection, Rachmaninov divulged some of the images that had come to mind when writing the pieces: a fair, the sea, children鈥檚 tales, and marches.

Opening our concert, Alexander Scriabin鈥檚 Piano Concerto 鈥� an early, Chopin-esque work, but with clear signs of the composer鈥檚 own distinct voice breaking through. Scriabin and Rachmaninov 鈥� both virtuoso pianists as well as composers 鈥� performed the work, sometimes even together with Scriabin playing and Rachmaninov conducting. Following in their footsteps, rising star and 成人快手 Radio 3 New Generation Artist Julius Asal joins us in his debut with the 成人快手 Symphony Orchestra.