Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris. Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev with a toothpick. Sep 20, 2021

One of my favorite pieces, and one of the best performances of Rachmaninov ever recorded imho. Yuja’s command of the piece is spectacular, and it’s a notoriously difficult piece to play. Within it is Rachmaninov’s struggle with depression - a bout that lasted four years until he came out of it with this masterpiece in 1901.

I love this work because of how beautifully it reveals the emotional range of C minor, which has always been my favorite key to compose in for piano.