A Tribute to Rachmaninov on the Morning Show
August 30, 2023This Week on “The Morning Show”:
A Tribute to Rachmaninov: an Interview with
Vera Danchenko-Stern
Vera Danchenko-Stern, pianist and founder of the Russian Chamber Art Society (RCAS), will visit “The Morning Show” on August 31st to talk about “A Tribute to Rachmaninov: A Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of His Birth.”
The tribute concert will take place on September 10th at St. Paul’s Church, 166 High Street in Newburyport, featuring Danchenko-Stern on piano and lyric tenor Fanyong Du presenting the composer’s art songs, known as romances.
The RCAS is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting concerts of Russian vocal works. Danchenko-Stern will discuss why Rachmaninov’s vocal compositions are “some of the most beloved and powerful in the repertoire.”
Danchenko-Stern will explain how Rachmaninov’s pursuit of “freedom of expression” makes him a “bridge” between American and Russian culture. In 1918, the composer settled in New York as the Russian Revolution began, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen shortly before his death in Beverly Hills in 1943.
When he became an American citizen, Rachmaninov said: “This is the only place on earth where a human being is respected for what he is and what he does, and it does not matter who he is and where he came from.”
A pre-concert talk on Rachmaninov and his vocal compositions will begin at 2:15 p.m. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $30 at www.rachmaninov150.eventbrite.com or at the door for $35 (cash or check only). For information, call (978)697-4084.
