On January 28, 2023, pianist Yuja Wang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall for a once-in-a-lifetime, all-Rachmaninoff marathon that featured the composer’s four piano concertos plus his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Throughout the performance, Wang—along with Nézet-Séguin, members of the orchestra, and concertgoers in attendance—wore devices to track their heartbeats.

Unprecedented and insanely demanding, Wang made history. These five pieces include two-and-a-half hours of music, 621 pages of score, and more than 97,000 piano notes.

To this day, Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic compositions captivate like few others, and these world-class artists ensured that the music was as heartily felt as it was technically astounding. Together, they answered a singular question: What happens when Rachmaninoff's music touches your heart?

00:00 - Introduction
01:07 - History of Sergei Rachmaninoff at Carnegie Hall
01:28 - Yuja Wang on Rachmaninoff
02:45 - Analysis of the performance data
08:32 - Yuja Wang's heartbeat before and after
08:55 - Yannick Nézet-Séguin's heartbeat data
10:03 - Synchronicity in Yuja Wang and Yannick Nézet-Séguin's heartbeat
11:37 - Case Studies
12:54 - Final Conclusions

Editor’s Note: This performance marked the first time in Carnegie Hall history that Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos plus his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” were performed on a single program. It was not the first time in history this has ever been done.

Carnegie Hall’s mission is to present extraordinary music and musicians on the three stages of this legendary hall, to bring the transformative power of music to the widest possible audience, to provide visionary education programs, and to foster the future of music through the cultivation of new works, artists, and audiences.

Learn more at https://carnegiehall.org.

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