Rachmaninoff’s favorite ensemble was The Philadelphia Orchestra; “the greatest orchestra in the world,” he called it. In this concert, the orchestra performs two of his most important pieces, including his last major work: Symphonic Dances. It was dedicated to The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the ensemble played its premiere in January 1941, just days before it performed the New York premiere at Carnegie Hall. His Second Symphony, a much earlier creation, was an enduring favorite that Rachmaninoff conducted with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1909 and which received its US premiere here on this stage. The program opens with the brisk, propulsive excitement of Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon’s Fanfare Ritmico.