St. Louis Symphony - Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff: Passion and Drama

Published November 9, 2025 at 4:05 PM CST

Conductor Stéphane Denève leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, November 2025

Danish violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider soars through Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto—one of the most popular concertos in the symphonic repertoire. Then the orchestra demonstrates what Music Director Stéphane Denève describes as “love in sounds” in a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.

An agreement with the St. Louis Symphony allows us to share audio for this program up to two weeks after the program's original air date. You can find more episodes here.

Host

Rod Milam
St. Louis Public Radio

Commentator

Lauren Eldridge Stewart
Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University

Conductor

Stéphane Denève

Program

Violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider performs with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, November 2025

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin

Manuel Ponce's Estrellita (My Little Star) (Encore)
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

These broadcasts are produced by St. Louis Public Radio and made possible in partnership with St. Louis Public Radio and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.