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Rachmaninov's Etudes Tableaux in Building a Library with Keelan Carew and Andrew McGregor

Andrew McGregor is joined by violinist Tasmin Little to assess a batch of new classical releases and Keelan Carew makes his top pick of recordings of Rachmaninov's Etudes Tableaux.

Andrew McGregor presents some of the week's best new classical releases.

2.10pm
Violinist Tasmin Little joins Andrew to discuss four new releases that have caught her attention.

3pm
Building a Library. Keelan Carew assesses recordings of Rachmaninov's Etudes Tableaux and makes a top recommendation.
Rachmaninov composed his two sets of Etudes-Tableaux ("study pictures"), Op. 33 and Op. 39, between 1911 and 1917, before he left Russia. They were intended to be "musical evocations of external visual stimuli", but Rachmaninoff did not disclose what inspired each one, stating: "I do not believe in the artist that discloses too much of his images. Let [the listener] paint for themselves what it most suggests." The pieces demand high levels of virtuosity to perform, calling for unconventional hand positions, wide leaps for the fingers and considerable technical strength.

3.45pm
Record of the Week. Andrew picks the new recording that has most impressed him this week.

Release date:

1 hour, 59 minutes

On radio

Sat 1 Nov 2025 14:00

Broadcast

  • Sat 1 Nov 2025 14:00

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Composers A to Z

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Browse previous episodes of the Record Review Podcast

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