Expressions of love and romance have probably offered the best source of inspiration for composers down the ages, and in this program we hear from three for whom love was unquestionably at the heart of many of their compositions. The program opens with Rachmaninov’s sumptuous Cello Sonata, a massive musical tour de force, which paves the way for the beautiful Tchaikovsky songs that follow. Tchaikovsky wrote 40 songs, many of which feature “love” in their titles, and in this program we hear a selection of six of his finest. The program concludes with Brahms’ gem of a work, his Sextet in B-flat Major, last heard at SMF in 2010.