Click here to listen to her five chosen tracks on Spotify, each of which comes with the insights from Rakhi below.

1. Olivia Chaney – There’s Not A Swain

‘I’ve been a huge admirer of the folk singer Olivia Chaney for years, in fact we’ve known each other since we were 14. She has so many different influences in her musical identity that she’s churned together into a unique, soulful sound. This track is her own take on Purcell’s ditty There’s not a Swain. I love how this version really highlights how folk Purcell is.’

2. Vivaldi – Concerto for strings in G minor

‘I was hunting around for inspiring recordings when I came across this, then programmed it last year. I love its feeling of jazz, it sounds so modern and cool to me! There is so much energy and life to be found in Baroque music, it’s interesting how it forces one into a certain physicality of playing. I find, if I’m doing it well, I literally feel like I’m dancing.’

3. Gorecki – Kleines Requiem for eine Polka

‘We recently played this in a Manchester Collective project and it was a very powerful experience. I love the vibrating harmonies that appear in Gorecki’s music. Combined with the asymmetrical minimalism, it makes for a wild ride. The outer movements of this work are full of silence and space and profoundly deep to me. Every time I play Gorecki’s music, he shows me another part of my soul.’

4. Low – The Price You Pay

‘I was trying to open my ears and decided to work through some ‘album of the year’ lists. This was one of the tracks I found on that quest and it just engulfed me as I listened on a train. During my years in classical education, I think I forgot how to listen to less complex music and I’m enjoying rediscovering how to listen in a different way. Maybe one would call it deep listening….’

5. Minerito – Bolivia manta

‘I recently returned from a trip from Argentina where I heard a little taster of the music of the indigenous people of Brazil. It set me off on a South American listening spree and I’ve been loving the swing and sounds of these guys. It’s so refreshing to listen to music that is so connected to a culture, for me it has a rawness and joy that I am attracted to. It makes me want to inject this passion into the more cerebral western classical music that I often play.’

If you’ve enjoyed listening to Rakhi’s playlist, let us know. There may be a track it’s reminded you of, that you’d like to share with us in return. We’d be pleased to pass it on. Do get in touch with us at members@philharmonicsociety.uk.