Lucy Parham

Though he became an exile in 1917, Russia remained deeply rooted in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s soul. His cultural identity and his longing for his homeland imbue his music, not least the many much-loved works he wrote for his own instrument, the piano.

The narrative, scripted from letters and diaries, follows Rachmaninov from his youth in Russia, through his subsequent self-imposed exile in 1917 and finally to California where he dies in 1943.

The programme includes many of his best-loved works for solo including a selection of Preludes, Etudes-Tableaux and Moments Musicaux, some of his own transcriptions and the haunting Elegie, as well as works by Scriabin and Tchaikovsky.

Actor Tim McInnerny is well known for his roles in TV’s Blackadder series, Game Of Thrones and films Eddie The Eagle, MI5 and Notting Hill.