Hobbies
Classical Music
At the piano since I was six, and a classical music fan ever since. My taste runs to the Romantic era: Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Mahler, Prokofiev (though he had already turned toward modernism) — and Rachmaninoff above all. Beethoven, the bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras, is the other composer I keep returning to.
“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”
My Rachmaninoff favorites
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30
- Symphony No. 2 in E minor Op. 27
My Beethoven favorites
- Symphony No. 7 in A major Op. 92
- Symphony No. 9 “Choral” in D minor Op. 125
- Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” in E-flat major Op. 73
On the shelf
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 Richter · Warsaw Philharmonic · Wisłocki, 1959 
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 Trifonov · Philadelphia Orchestra · Nézet-Séguin, 2019 
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic · Petrenko, 2012 
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Berlin Philharmonic · Abbado, 2000 
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Berlin Philharmonic · Karajan, 1963 
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” Zimerman · Vienna Philharmonic · Bernstein, 1989
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder — and in the ear of the listener. Every recording is a different interpretation of the same score; listen across the versions and find the one that is yours: that is the beauty of classical music. And if you have a favorite version to recommend — or just want to talk recordings — feel free to reach out.