Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

It was an all Russian program at last night's Utah Symphony concert and I loved every minute!  When I was very young I lived on a farm in southern Ontario next door to an elderly couple who had emigrated from Russia to Canada.  I loved them dearly.  My parents always told me not to bother them but I think they enjoyed it when I followed them around their farm.  They taught me several phrases in Russian and served me tea from an exquisite samovar that had pride of place in their living room and pryanik (a type of Russian cookie).  I think this early influence is why I have always been fascinated by Russia (I've been there twice), especially Russian history, literature, and music.  I usually try to get a ticket to any Utah Symphony concert featuring a Russian composer and, luckily, there are several this season (the agent who took my order over the phone joked that she was sensing a theme with my selections).  The orchestra began with the Polonaise from The Golden Slippers by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  This little known opera features this traditional Polish dance at a Christmas celebration for the tsaritsa in Act III and the music is very festive and energetic.  I loved all of the lush melodies played by the strings and the triumphant fanfares played by the brass as I imagined a grand and stately group promenading through an opulent St. Petersburg ballroom in my mind.  Next, the orchestra was joined by Sir Stephen Hough, who is a very popular soloist with Utah Symphony audiences, for Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  This is one of my favorite pieces and I love all of the Variations because they are sometimes fiery and passionate, sometimes grand and stirring, and sometimes wild and tempestuous.  If I had to pick a favorite, like everyone else, I would pick 18 because it is incredibly beautiful and almost unbearably romantic (it is featured in many movies, including Somewhere in Time).  Hough played it with so much emotion (I loved watching his fingers fly up and down the keyboard) and I was practically swooning by the time the swelling strings joined the melody.  The near-capacity crowd leapt to their feet in thunderous applause after the performance and Hough gave a lovely encore featuring his own virtuosic arrangement of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins.  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovitch.  The first movement is bold with militaristic marches played by the brass and the second is very stirring (I loved the opening theme played by the cellos and basses).  However, my favorite was the third movement because it is very affecting, particularly a theme played by the harp and flute.  At the premiere, this movement provided a way for the public to express their grief over Stalin's purges and it brought tears to my eyes, as well.  The final movement becomes celebratory once again and I loved the epic conclusion by the timpani!  This was an incredible evening of music and, if this program appeals to you, get tickets (go here) for tonight's concert sooner rather than later because, as I mentioned, there were very few empty seats in Abravanel Hall last night (for good reason).