Two monumental works, two Russian ex-pats of the same aristocratic background—and two divergent extremes. One, a master of nostalgia and a formidable pianist, follows in the footsteps of Chopin. The other, a trailblazer, scandalizer and collaborator of Picasso delights in breaking old molds—though harking back to traditional Russian folk material—and ushers in a new age in music, conceptually aligned with Cubism. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring shocked tout-Paris and sparked riots (scenes from the film Coco Chanel will be shown). Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano was written after a course of hypnotherapy for composer’s block, out of which emerged a work of virtuosity and grandeur, with his characteristic flourishes and a Russian Bell Époque sensibility. Terrifyingly difficult for the piano, it is a virtual piano concerto—not to downplay the soulful melodic role of the cello! Baritone Enes Pektas joins with Russian folk songs and favorites by Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky. Michael Chertock, piano; Yehuda Hanani, cello; Enes Pektas, baritone