Rachmaninoff is a hyper-romantic. That can easily be gleaned from his ever-so-popular 18th Variation on a Paganini Theme as well as his Piano Concertos and his numerous Preludes.
Verging on the saccharine, one can even accuse him of pandering to pedestrian tastes. But then again, listening to his other output, you can't really simply stereotype him as a love-lorn romantic. The rich and complex harmonies as well as the unintelligible figurations point to a totally different direction: it actually evokes visions of leaving bodies. Interpreted this way, his romantic inclination becomes his way of expressing his yearning for his homeland. His music seems to say he is not where he belongs. Forced out and displaced, the disqueting thunderous chords clearly show this.
Rachmaninoff, like Chopin, was forced to leave Russia as the Bolsheviks' took power and established themselves. He continued to support Russian causes while establishing a successful career as a concert pianist and composer while in exile.
Rachmaninoff's music is the creation of a tortured soul.
Here's the Piano Concerto No. 1, with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Colin Davis.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Verging on the saccharine, one can even accuse him of pandering to pedestrian tastes. But then again, listening to his other output, you can't really simply stereotype him as a love-lorn romantic. The rich and complex harmonies as well as the unintelligible figurations point to a totally different direction: it actually evokes visions of leaving bodies. Interpreted this way, his romantic inclination becomes his way of expressing his yearning for his homeland. His music seems to say he is not where he belongs. Forced out and displaced, the disqueting thunderous chords clearly show this.
Rachmaninoff, like Chopin, was forced to leave Russia as the Bolsheviks' took power and established themselves. He continued to support Russian causes while establishing a successful career as a concert pianist and composer while in exile.
Rachmaninoff's music is the creation of a tortured soul.
Here's the Piano Concerto No. 1, with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Colin Davis.
Part I
Part II
Part III
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