Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is amongst his most celebrated works, not least for the intoxicating new melody at the heart of the work, created from an inversion of the theme. The soloist is Latvian pianist Vestard Shimkus, who has been described as "a phenomenon" (Paavo Järvi), "superb" (American Record Guide), "inspired" (BBC), and "one of the most remarkable pianists of the young generation" (Piano News). When Rachmaninoff was sent an anonymous letter suggesting he set Edgar Allan Poe's ' The Bells' to music, the idea resonated with his own love of Russia's rich heritage of church bells. As he worked on the piece in Rome, Rachmaninoff was further inspired to be staying in an apartment once inhabited by Tchaikovsky, emphasising "the added stimulus of working in the room where Tchaikovsky had worked, of writing on the table on which he had written."