RIO to Collaborate with EuroArts Music International

EuroArts Music International announces collaboration with San Francisco Classical Recording Company (SFCRC) and the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra (RIO).

The Berlin label EuroArts, which is part of the French Groupe Les Échos – Le Parisien, announces a collaboration with the newly founded Rachmaninoff International Orchestra (RIO) and the production company San Francisco Classical Recording Company (SFCRC).

Born of a singular moment in history, the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra embodies the vision of Mikhail Pletnev, its founder and artistic director. “Mikhail Pletnev has deepened his commitment to artistic freedom with his founding of the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra,” said Sergey Markov, RIO General Manager. “The orchestra has a vital role to play in bridging divides and inspiring peace through the universal language of music.”

Like its namesake – composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff – the RIO is dedicated to the highest standards of performance and artistic expression.

Composed of preeminent musicians from Eastern and Western Europe, the RIO’s recordings and performances draw from the wide breadth of classical repertoire, with a focus on the Romantic and modern composers whose works have been the hallmark of Mikhail Pletnev’s celebrated interpretations. 

A live recording of the orchestra’s debut public performances, featuring Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos plus the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with Mikhail Pletnev as soloist under the baton of Kent Nagano, will be released by EuroArts on April 26 digitally on all relevant streaming and download platforms and physically on SACD. The concerts took place over the course of two evenings in October 2023 at the Rosey Concert Hall in Rolle, Switzerland.

The orchestra's highly anticipated first studio recording with San Francisco Classical Recording Company, featuring a suite from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Bizet/Shchedrin's Carmen Suite, was released last month by EuroArts.

Together with SFCRC, EuroArts is looking forward to many more exciting releases with the RIO and with other internationally renowned artists.

"With Job Maarse and Christina Gembaczka we are very happy to have two partners at our side who share our unconditional demand for high-quality and top-class audio recordings and we look forward to many more joint releases that will certainly enrich the music world", says Raphael Eckardt (Label Manager, EuroArts Music International GmbH).

“Working with Mikhail Pletnev for over 20 years has been a highlight of my career as record producer. As an artist he is unique, and he knows how to inspire other musicians. It was one of my dreams to record all the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos and the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" with Pletnev as a soloist, and his founding of the RIO eventually brought this dream to life: an unforgettable experience. We are grateful to have EuroArts as our enthusiastic partner for our releases featuring the RIO as well as for other marvelous projects to come. Our pleasant and productive collaboration with Raphael Eckardt, Alexandra Stolle, and the entire team has felt very familiar right from the start.” (Job Maarse, Managing Director and Producer, San Francisco Classical Recording Company)