In 1983 the charming delicately blue hall of the Moscow Conservatory was repaired and opened anew. The ceremonious opening was marked by two recitals given by the outstanding Russian pianist, Svyatoslav Richter.
Three years afterwards it received the name of the Rachmaninov Hall, after the name of the greatest composer and graduate of Moscow Conservatory, Sergei Rachmaninov. Notwithstanding the fact that it is ranked as the third hall at the Conservatory after the Grand Hall and the Small Hall, its age and historical significance is no less than of the two aforementioned halls.
Undoubtedly Richter had paid his respects to Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, the artistic path of both of whom was directly connected with the Conservatory, when he set up the programs of his first concerts at the Rachmaninov Hall.
Richter considered Tchaikovsky’s lyrical pieces to be charming, and wrote that they “possess its Russian ‘estate’ charm of the previous century”. It is remarkable that from the cycle “The Seasons” the pianist chose only four musical landscapes (“May”, “June”, “November” and “January”), performing them particularly in that order – starting with the languorous romantic mood of “May”, passing through the captivating sadness of the barcarolle of “June”, towards the expectation of hopes in “November” and, finally, concluding with the pensive afterthought of “January”. When performing Tchaikovsky, Richter never permitted himself any excessive pathos or artificiality of expression – each phrase breathes with a special type of musical poetry.
In the programs of Richter’s concerts Tchaikovsky’s compositions were almost always followed with the turn of Rachmaninov’s compositions. This does not present any random choice, since both Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky develop the lyrical vein in Russian musical art. “…When you perform them, you receive a truly genuine pleasure”, Richter stated, “it is possible to ‘reveal’ the Russian soul”.