HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is partnering with the Virginia Arts Festival this weekend for a one-of-a-kind series of performances.
World-renowned pianist Olga Kern is joining the symphony to perform Sergei Rachmaninoff's five piano concertos over the course of three days. The "Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto Festival" is in honor of the famous composer's 150th birthday.
"(It) may be a historic moment for Virginia because no one ever played all five (concertos) and the 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' here in such a short period of time," said Kern, who also serves as the Virginia Arts Festival's Director of Chamber Music.
She told News 3 at a rehearsal for the performances that she's been playing piano since she was five years old. She will play the pieces from memory.
"(They're) big pieces. Amazingly beautiful. Rachmaninoff's music is so passionate," she said. "There's so much emotion, but there's a lot of technique involved and it's very physical as well at the same time so it's really exhausting all the way."
Kern tells News 3 that her history with Rachmaninoff goes back to even before she was born, when her mother would play the concertos while pregnant with her.
Eric Jacobsen will conduct the VSO for the performances, which begin Friday night at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News.
Saturday night, a performance will be held at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk before wrapping up Sunday at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach.
Click HERE for times and ticket info.
