As in the old Russian saying, I have chased after three hares. Can I be certain I have captured one?” Rachmaninoff, so often doubtful, made this observation toward the end of his life, as he reflected on his careers as composer, conductor and pianist. It was after abandoning his homeland in 1917 that he pursued the third of his “hares” – becoming one of the most successful pianists of the 20th century – while composition was forced to the back seat. Had he stayed in Russia, it seems certain that at least one important piece would have been heard by audiences sooner.

Given the enduring popularity of Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Piano Concertos, not to mention that other jewel in his crown of concertante works, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, one might wonder why the Fourth Piano Concerto has received such a bad wrap. Even his First Concerto – penned in student days but later considerably revised – seems to have been more appreciated. The perennial Second Concerto, completed in 1901, is unquestionably written in a late-19th century idiom, while the Third – from 1909, and a substantially different work – is often erroneously perceived as such. Did...