In May 1902 Rachmaninoff married his cousin, Natalia Satin. His marriage, as so often with artists, led to a great burst of creativity, including the Ten Preludes for piano which comprise his Opus 23. The Moscow recital on 10 February 1903 in which Rachmaninov premiered the Variations also saw the first performance of three of the Op 23 set, Nos 1, 2 and 5. The remaining seven were written in Moscow during the next few weeks as the couple awaited the birth of their first child in May. The complete set of Ten Preludes was published later the same year and dedicated to Alexander Siloti, who had been one of the two best men at their wedding.
Rachmaninov’s annual routine was predictable. The winter months, the concert season, were given over to concert engagements, and the summer months to rest, and work on the large estate at Ivanovka which he owned. The result was that little time could be devoted to composition, so when the rare opportunities arose when Rachmaninov was able to write, his works were written very quickly.
It does not require much imagination to see that having begun his Chopin Variations, Rachmaninov would naturally be drawn to the work that sparked them off (a set of Preludes) and, having already composed the G minor, he would have begun a set of his own.
Rachmaninoff composed this prelude in1903.
The speed is Andante, in 4/4 time, and is written in variation form.
(The left hand is a very long flow of semiquaver notes. These notes are not simply a bed upon which the melody floats: they are a reflective comment, like a duet, with the melody line and, at the same time, give the listener a feel of when and how rubato is being used to enhance the melody).
GlynGlynn, alias GB, realiser.
Please feel free to leave any comments, be they good, bad, or indifferent as to whether the piece, or the performance, moved you in any way whatsoever!
(Since music is an aural art, and not a visual one, it is best to listen to these pieces, and other artists performances, with eyes closed, so as to be able to listen intently as to how the music is portrayed).
23 авг 2024
