Recently announced as General Music Director in Stuttgart, Nicholas Carter conducts an ocean-inspired program featuring Benjamin Britten’s Sea Interludes, Claude Debussy’s La Mer and the Australian premiere of Jeanne Demessieux’s Poème. Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk joins the SSO for Rachmaninov’s notoriously difficult Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, composed in 1934 after the composer fled Russia and rebuilt his career as a touring pianist. Premiering in Baltimore with Rachmaninov as soloist and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski, it was turned into a ballet by Michel Fokine in 1939.

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Here Gavrylyuk tackles Rachmaninov’s notoriously difficult Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. These 24 variations take you on a wild ride, from stormy to mischievous to tender; but in the 18th, Rachmaninov flips the melody upside down to reveal one of classical music’s biggest and best-loved tunes.

Australian conductor Nicholas Carter leads this exquisite program that draws inspiration from the ever-changing moods of the ocean. Recently announced as General Music Director at Stuttgart and fresh off acclaimed productions at The Met in New York, Carter too has a long relationship with the Sydney Symphony and we are excited to welcome him back.