WORLD renowned pianist Peter Donohoe will join the Welsh National Opera Orchestra for a concert on Thursday, November 12.

The concert, at St David’s Hall, is part of the Rachmaninov series, a joint season of concerts by the Orchestras and Concert Halls of Cardiff celebrating the composer’s music in autumn.

The programme for the concert will include Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4. The concert will be conducted by Xian Zhang.

Soloist Peter Donohoe will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 which has the reputation of being one of the most technically challenging piano concertos in the standard classical repertoire and which the composer himself named as the favourite of his own piano concertos.

In the years since his unprecedented success as joint winner of the 7th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1982 in Moscow, Peter Donohoe has built an extraordinary world-wide career, encompassing a huge repertoire and over 40 years’ experience as a pianist, as well as continually exploring many other avenues in music-making.

He is acclaimed as one of the foremost pianists of our time, for his musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique. In 2010 he received a CBE for services to music in the New Year’s Honours List.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 completes the programme for the evening. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony which premiered in Moscow in 1878 following a time of depression for the composer and the dramatic failure of his marriage is said to be a comment on fate and a tribute to his patroness and supporter Nadezdda von Meck.

Xian Zhang is currently Music Director of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppi Verdi. She returns to WNO following the hugely successful production of Nabucco with the company in June 2014. A regular conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw, Zhang's recent highlights include her return to the BBC Proms in July 2015 conducting the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and performances with Rotterdam Philharmonic and Gothenburg Symphony orchestras. Xian Zhang’s special relationship with WNO, led to her conducting the Orchestra at a special New Year’s Day concert in Dubai this year.

Tickets range from £5 to £42 and are available from stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or call the box office on 02920 878444.