Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3

A quiet pulse, and a long, chant-like melody that seems to breathe the air of old Russia – it’s an unlikely way to begin one of the most difficult and brilliant piano concertos ever created. Rachmaninov’s Third has been called the “Everest of piano concertos” but if anyone’s equipped to scale it, it’s the superb young British virtuoso Isata Kanneh-Mason and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s newly-appointed Principal Guest Conductor Delyana Lazarova.

Delyana places the Rachmaninov at the centre of a concert designed to showcase her own musical passions, whether Jessie Montgomery’s playful letter from America, Samuel Barber at his most explosive, or Claude Debussy’s impressionist seascape – music driven by the swell of waves and the sparkle of sunlight.

Recorded at Glasgow's City Halls on Thursday 27 November 2025, presented by Andrew McGregor.

Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor

c. 8.25pm: interval

c. 8:45pm:
Barber: Medea's Dance of Vengeance
Debussy: La mer

Isata Kanneh‐Mason, piano
Delyana Lazarova, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.