Yuja Wang’s Rachmaninoff Marathon Experiment

What happens when Rachmaninoff's music touches your heart?

On January 28, 2023, pianist Yuja Wang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall for a once-in-a-lifetime, all-Rachmaninoff marathon that featured the composer’s four piano concerti plus his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Throughout the performance, Wang—along with Nézet-Séguin, members of the orchestra, and concertgoers in attendance—wore devices to track their heartbeats.

Unprecedented and insanely demanding, Wang made history. These five pieces include two-and-a-half hours of music, 621 pages of score, and more than 97,000 piano notes.

To this day, Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic compositions captivate like few others, and these world-class artists ensured that the music was as heartily felt as it was technically astounding. Together, they answered a singular question: What happens when Rachmaninoff's music touches your heart?

Watch the Full Experiment

Explore Yuja Wang on Carnegie Hall+

Yuja Wang plays piano
Yuja Wang: Carnegie Hall+ Artist to Watch

This month on Carnegie Hall+, we salute this singular musician with two extraordinary performances on the channel.

Leonard Bernstein conducting
Carnegie Hall+: Subscribe Now
Concerts, operas, dance, documentaries, and more are available in the US and beyond. Start your free trial today!

Hear Yuja Wang at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall Presents

Yuja Wang, Piano
Víkingur Ólafsson, Piano

Read More

Hear Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall Presents
Carnegie Hall Presents

London Symphony Orchestra

Read More

Photography: Wang by Chris Lee

Explore More

Stay Up to Date