Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Classical Music: Sunday 15 December

What makes Rachmaninov so great? Catherine Bott endeavours to get inside the composer who is topping the Classic FM Hall of Fame.

This week, Catherine Bott poses the question: “What makes Rachmaninov so great?” and asks why some people feel they have the right to call him a second-rate composer.

She’ll be exploring the life of this great figure in classical music - composer, conductor and pianist - featuring a whole range of brilliant pieces including the Symphony No.1, a work that was critically mauled at its premiere. 

There's also the Piano Concerto No.1, written when Rachmaninov was just 19 years old, and the Piano Concerto No.2, currently sitting at the top of the Classic FM Hall of Fame.