The Finest Piano Concerto

Since I was a child I have been passionate about classical music. I remember in my teenage years listening to 'Semprini Serenades' on a Sunday on the BBC Light radio programme (or wireless as it was then called). He introduced his programme with the words: "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones".  He introduced me to 'The Warsaw Concerto' by Richard Addinsell, 'The Dream of Olwen' by Charles Williams, 'Cornish Rhapsody' by Hubert Bath - and so many more light classics. But his signature tune was taken from Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto and I fell in love with a piece of music that has stayed with me for sixty years.

I have listened to Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 for six decades and I never tire of hearing it. It is, quite simply, the best piano concerto ever composed. Over the years I have collected many recordings of this opus. But there is one, just one, that always reduces me to tears. I listened to it again, just today. How many times have I listened to this sublime recording since it was released in 1971? I have no idea. Vladimir Ashkenazy, more than any concert pianist I know, lives and breathes Rachmaninov. His performance with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of André Previn stands head and shoulders above any other recording I own - and I have many. Ashkenazy's playing is so full of emotion and the LSO provides the perfect accompaniment to his virtuoso performance. The quality of the Decca recording is astonishing, given its age.

The most beautiful, romantic piano concerto of all time. If you don't know it, take a listen. If you do, like me, listen again, and again. And enjoy something that is beyond perfect....

Semprini Serenades

A little bit of nostalgia for the more senior of my readers. "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones" - Alberto Semprini's opening lines to his weekday evening programme, which ran from 1957 to 1982 on the BBC Light programme. My dad loved the music that Semprini played and as a family we listened intently to this wonderful programme on the 'wireless'. This expert concert pianist who graduated from the Verdi Conservatory in Milan in 1928, who played light classics and themes from films and shows that we came to love. "Warsaw Concerto", "Cornish Rhapsody", "The Dream of Olwen" composed by Charles Williams and so many more. But it was Semprini who introduced me to the music of Rachmaninov. In 1957 I was just 12 years of age. In 1957 Semprini played the 2nd Piano Concerto for the first time and in 1957 I fell in love with the music of Rachmaninov. Is there any music more romantic or heartbreakingly beautiful?

As I write this I am listening to Krystian Zimerman playing the 2nd Concerto, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, a favourite conductor of mine. This is one of the best performances I have heard. If I conducted a poll amongst my readers for your favourite Rach Concerto, what would it be I wonder? Popular opinion would probably opt for the 2nd and its association with the 1945 David Lean film 'Brief Encounter' starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. It often tops the Classic FM's Hall of Fame. But for me there is nothing to compare with the 1st Concerto. The 2nd movement is the most beautiful piece of music I know. It moves me to tears every time I listen to it. And I have listened to it many, many times.

So, where am I going with this? I still remember those family evenings when we gathered around the 'wireless' and listened to Alberto Semprini. He brought to me the joy of classical pianoforté music that has stayed with me all my life. Whenever I listen to the music of Rachmaninov it reminds me of my mum and dad. I have Semprini to thank for that...

Alberto Fernanco Riccardo Semprini