Interesting fact : Rachmaninov composed this piece only after a black and white reproduction of Böcklin's painting. When he saw the real painting some years later, he said that the colors weren't at all how he had imagined them. If he had seen the real painting first, he would have composed this symphonic poem totally differently.
This painting is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It is located by itself in a small room or cubicle with a bench in front of it while this music is playing. I sat on that bench transfixed looking at this painting while this music was playing. I stayed through the entire 21 minutes of its playing time.
There were actually five versions of this painting, painted between 1880 and 1886 but one of them was unfortunately destroyed. The one in the metropolitan art gallery is the second version. The one in this video is the one in the old national gallery in Berlin, Germany and not the one in New York.
Arnold Böcklin had created the painting naming it the same ("The Island of the Dead")... ok-ok, i got myself^) Rachmaninov was inspired of this master piece, when is creating his self piece. Two artists, two eras
@@user-hp7bx3vy6r the original comment refers to a game called Signalis, it's a copy-paste from what the main character says while inspecting this picture
This is EXACTLY MY CASE!!! my effing colleagues are so loud, i need to work always with my headphones on and I listen to this masterpiece or some others. Priceless.
@@kezia_creates3264 There's a very artistic video game called Signalis which released late last year, and one of the pieces of music in the soundtrack is a piano rendition of the beginning melody, as well as the painting being a core pillar of the game's theme of things being copied and ending up different than the last version. It's a very emotionally charged game, so the beauty of the song and painting are amplified by the story and visual direction, so they can leave a pretty amazing amazing impression and stay with you for a good while.
@@sovviedan6791 and by artistic you mean pretentious... apparently the devs tought that flashing german sentences while glitching was the peak of art, the story never makes itself very clear, but its implied that the lesbian couple were sent to die in cold space because one of them was an Alma Wade level psychic that could wreak havoc.
@@lelagrangeeffectphysics4120 Everything is pretentious when you don't understand it. They're German, dumbass. That's why they flash German words on the screen. You must've been playing with your eyes closed to not notice the heavy post-WWII East Germany vibe to Sierpinksi and Rotfront. And what you've pointed out isn't just "implied," it's literally outright stated in the documents on the ship and dialogue with Arianne. They couldn't have made it clearer. You skimmed over the surface of what the game had to offer and then had the audacity to call it lacking.
@@yddet4369 a game about phenomena, existentialism and similar themes called signals. In that game the protagonist Elster and a human called Ariane volunteer for a space reconnaissance mission to find an inhabitable planet. Simply put they do not have enough resources to make it. Ariane falls in love with Elster, Ariana did know that they wouldn’t make it (which makes it even more tragic). After a certain time, when Elster also finds out that they won’t find a planet to survive, Ariana makes her promise to kill her. Since if she wouldn’t kill Ariane, Ariane would suffer a slow and terrible death from leaking radiation of the reactor of the ship. The game itself sets in after this, the player has to make his way through a lot of bs (why and how isn’t really important to the story) if the player did well enough, Elster will remember the promise and kill her loved one, simultaneously dying on her side.
Rachmaninoff was not 6'6". That is classic Internet error. Eugene Ormandy said he was about 6'3", as did other friends. He also was underrated because modernist music was on the ascendant in his time. He was dissed by critics, but it's well to remember the quote from Sibelius, "Pay no attention to critics. No one ever erected a statue to a critic".
I would say that a critic might be able to in good conscience unfavorably criticize Rachmaninoff if he or she could even pretend to write with the brilliance, originality, virtuosity, beauty and depth than Rachmaninoff wrote.
I teach piano; Rachmaninoff had big hands. Most of the finest pianists in the world consider him to have been the greatest pianist of the recording era. Not to mention his brilliant compositions.
I am so glad you’ve started on this journey, and Rachmaninov is an amazing place to begin! Being able to move emotionally through this “world” is an experience greater in my life than nearly anything in my life, for nearly 60 years. If I may presume to give a suggestion, Vladimir Ashkenazy is, in my opinion, one of the best interpreters of Rachmaninov’s music, as a pianist and conductor. He would be an excellent place to continue!
This is pretty gripping. As one who is now approaching death, I am in awe of the boats' passenger nearing The Isle. Where those of us who have "passed" remain. The rocking boat, the trees, the dark shore, are real for me. This is how I have always envisioned it. Even as a child. I'll be glad to leave this life behind in order to achieve the peace I see on the Isle.
I had never heard this piece until I decided to transcribe it from the original score into a digital one. What struck me was the story I feel as the music progresses. Rachmaninoff’s use of 5/4 alternating 3-2 to 2-3 in the first part mimics the way an oarsman would row, long pull short recovery followed by short pull longer recovery to correct course, etc. I see it as starting out from shore in calm waters and as the boat gets midway, rougher seas then it calms as it enters the isle harbor. The second part describes the unloading of the casket and carrying it upward while being met by spirits to assist until the casket is interred. There is a reference to a Dies Irea, a release of burden and sorrow the the descent of the oarsman or passengers back to the dock where the third part is the emptier boat returning from the isle with the same rowing rhythms. As a symphonic poem, it is one of the most descriptive.
ARNOLD BOCKLIN HAD SO MUCH SUCCESS WITH THIS PAINTING THAT HE MADE A NUMBER OF COPIES AND SOLD THEM ALL. 5 OR 6 I DON´T KNOW. I SAW THE PAINTING AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NY AND IT MADE A TREMENDOUS IMPRESSION ME WHICH I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN. IT IS OUR ETERNAL HOME.
I feel so ashamed of myself. 23 years old, swiss and I've never EVER heard of this painter. I hate my arts teacher in high school, I have no one else to blame.
+StahliCell. No need to feel ashamed. Get yourself other sources of information as long as they are reliable. Go to the library in your town. Read a lot. Very soon you'll know more than your stupid teachers. I've done that.
I fell in love with this piece of music when i was 10 years old and playing with Star Wars action figures and listening to my mom's Classical music LPs...the music always inspired stories and now that I'm substantially older, I hear this again (and again) and I think of those childhood stories. More than that, I love the music on its own terms. I still wanna be a Rachmaninov composition when I grow up.
listening to this now, loving it and just gave my wife's brother (a Star Wars geek and collector) my original Star Wars figures that I played with as a kid, but I wasn't fortunate enough to have parents that were into Rachmaninov, let alone music in general 😆
I listened to classical music as a child too, brought up in a household which had no interest in it. I flourished thanks to that open window. It's funny to remember how often I listened next to an actual open window. Do children listen to this any more without being dragged to hear it? Like tears in the rain.
I'm 69 yrs , and same when I was a kid, 5, 6, 7, could see so much in my head, I know you know what I'm saying, but by 8 it started fading , and fast , a song that still works pretty good for me is Debussey, prelude to the afternoon of a Faun, I hear it in this music score . Check it out if you are not familiar with it.
An Etheric world of neither Purgatory nor Paradise, with unfulfilled yearning, toil and glimpses of shining lights beyond....beautifully portrayed by Rachmaninov. An exquisite piece of music.
I always thought classical music was boring, until I (on a lucky midnight) found this gem, alongside other classical music that is actually good! Some of the best music I've heard in ages! I can't believe there's actual classical music that I thoroughly enjoy, and not only respect the skills of!
There is an anecdote about this piece, according to which Rachmaninov was inspired by a black and white reproduction of Boecklin's painting, not by the original version: when he eventually saw the actual artwork, he got so disappointed that he stated he would have probably never written this beautiful music, if he had seen the original one first. We would have missed one great piece.
Individually, words and notes do not have owners. I can't own the word bird, but if I were to use it with words of MY choosing accentuating the bird, then the statement made thereafter belongs to me. And, of course music has an owner!!!
14:57 My favorite moment of this piece. To me, it represents finally reaching the isle, stepping out of the boat, and setting foot into the dark unknown that is the Isle of the Dead. Rachmaninoff was such a master of musical suspense and buildup 😍😍
Yeah, you can't really use that term much, like when a husband turns to his wife and mutters "hauntingly beautiful" she slaps him. I suppose you could refer to an old Castle as "hauntingly beautiful" :D
Rachmaninoff. Say the name and I tremble for the majesty, profound feeling and sheer romantic poetry no other can duplicate. His piano concerti are unsurpassed in the annals of romantic music.
@@MargaritaMagdalena It's a fantastic very surreal horror game set in a fictional German DDR-like nation. You play as Elster, a (female) robot looking to uphold a promise she made. Naturally, you have to move the world in order to achieve this. 8 years in the making by a few folks. Brilliant artwork and beautifully melancholic music. 10/10 play it at least 5 times to unlock everything haha.
Böcklin's isle is creepy but fascinating. I always wonder whats behind the cypresses. It was commisioned by a young widow who sought the answer in the death of her husband. Masterpiece!
The sense of musical scale is breathtaking. The knowledge of the instruments and their register is mind boggling. The genius of how to deliver this to me and have me weeping is God given. 6 foot of Russian misery no, 2 miles ladder into heaven yes.
I put this video in my Classical Music playlist sort of apathetically but every time I come back, it's better and better. Rachmaninov was a brilliant man.
œuvre d'une intensité inouïe et d'une beauté surréaliste que Rachmaninoff génie absolu de la musique a légué à l'humanité. Pourrais-je l'écouter mille fois que j'aurais toujours le même émoi ; c'est à cela qu'on reconnaît un véritable chef-d'œuvre.
Haa :) voilà une âme reconnaissante de belle musique sans allez chercher la science classique de critiques que l'on peu lire en commentaire, c 'est affolant..... ils critiquent mais n'en feraient pas 1 centième de millimètre composée :) c'est vraiment un monde étrange la musique classique, on pourrait presque croire qu'ils ne vivent que dans la critique négative et non constructive.
I can't "Like" this video enough, or explain how much its existence has improved my musical life over the last few months. Thank you so much for uploading.
Yes. Perhaps it’s the form of the imagery. A natural structure slowly crumbling into eternal nature, the ruins of human culture amid natural and subtle forces.
I think I have listened to this piece about a hundred times now... it is one of those pieces that... it just MOVES one... it is a beautiful, amazing piece, one of my absolute favorites, of all time. In my eyes, it is indisputably one of the best pieces of music ever written. Just fantastic
"Never step between the fire and a man praying", he cautioned. Schultes began quietly to laugh. The shadows on the tipi wall were so much larger than the men beneath them. It was as if a gallery of spirits were dancing.
I love this painting. It perfectly captures the mood of death. It's so serene with the still water and muted tone. For some people, death is a nice, peaceful rest, free of the tumult and suffering that accompany life. Yet in the painting, the dark shadows that surround the trees give a sense of foreboding and remind you of the mystery and darkness associated with death.
Or a bad death, the darkness a warning of the demonic torments to come. Has anyone written a piece about being tortured by demons in hell? I would love to hear that and even suggest it to atheists LOL!!!
Кимберли Суратос also too, though the Cypress trees are in reference to other things, when I saw them a thought crossed my mind!! The evergreen (our soul/spirit) almost completely walled off from everything else living! The eternal soul wrapped in death’s hewn stone coffin awaiting judgement in solemn silence yet not dispassionate! And the simultaneity of life only a breath away and death breathless hold spark the roller coaster of emotions
He neared the small island he saw just off the shore, walls all around except from the sea facing side. As he approached he saw the forest hidden from the sight of the mainland, more a garden as the walls were too close together for it to have any considerable size. The small row boat pushed up against the steps in the water. The man leaped from the boat, eager to see what secrets the island may hold. He entered the small tree covered enclosure, and as he walked down the dark path he came to a sudden realisation. Why had he not heard of this place before? It sat only a short distance from the beach, had no-one else seen it? He had been walking for nearly 15 minutes, he surely would have reached the mainland had he been walking along the water from where he landed on the island. He looked back, and dread filled him. Only darkness lay behind him, he had fallen into the islands evil trap...
I listened to this symphonic poem casually few months ago, but I immediatly fell in love with its intense crescendos. It is a real journey, I may say, even inside the painting, within the part we can only imagine.
Ahhhh the good side of youtube. Great music, nice friendly reflective comment sections, all the suggested videos are more orchestral and classical pieces with nice reflective commenters. Yeah :) All is well :) EDIT: Sheeeit that's a lotta likes haha
Even on the good side I see some bad comment chains, I got here from Devil's Trill Sonata, and there is a comment that says "I'm glad the average person like me can access beautiful music like this." (more or less) And someone got PISSED over him saying "average" and went on a rant about how we take our "privilege" for granted.
@@mixerD1- I wonder how the original audience must have felt listening to this, and without any electronic involvement. It, like most Rachmaninoff, is one of my absolute favorites.
Rachmaninov nos lleva de paseo a la isla de los difuntos en la barca de su misteriosa música, entre apacible y trágica pero, invariablemente, plena de poesía.
What a magnificent piece of music. Rachmaninoff's works always have so much depth, so much sense of longing, nostalgia, richness of harmony and yet haunting melodic lines. Though his output is considered relatively small by some standards, it seems that it was all of an incredibly high standard. My favourites include this piece, the 3rd piano concerto, the rhapsody on a theme of Paganini Op43, the variations on a theme of Corelli Op42, the variations on a theme of Chopin Op22, all the solo piano music, but there are other works I don't know so well and hence need to get to know. He had such huge hands he could stretch C-Eb-G-C-G with his left hand. Plagued by depression and ill health for much of his life, he felt compelled to leave Russia after the 1917 revolution. Part of the escape was done on a sleigh through the winter landscape of eastern Finland. Someone ought to make a feature film about him, he had a fascinating but difficult life in many ways. A CD I would recommend for the sets of variations I mentioned above would be the one recorded by Daniil Trifonov in 2015, which also includes the talented Russian pianist's own homage to Rachmaninoff, Rachmaniana, a set of short piano pieces. It's a Deutsche Grammophon CD, always a sign of quality.
beautiful comment. I would love to make a film about this story although I wouldn't be able to do it's beauty justice. History but a ripple in time, waiting to be echoed.
Can't believe I'm hearing this piece now. I can already recall at least 3 distinct modern orchestral works inspired by this things specifically. Must have been really influential.
I listened to this song a lot after the death of my father, who was taken suddenly from me. The music made me think of him moving on to the afterlife. It helped with closure but the sadness will always be there.
My sincere condolences, Bill. If you hadn't already been acquainted with it, I hope someone directed you to Strauss' Death and Transfiguration for a bit more positive resolution at the time of your father's passing.
I remember when I was listen to this so high that in the first crescendo I felt I was going to die. With that being said, I have to say that it was a wonderful experience.
@@voraciousreader3341 you haven't experienced enough suffering in your life if you believe that. Life has a way of beating the enjoyment out of someone, but if that person can find new enjoyment by experiencing the music in new ways, the garden can begin to grow again. It sounds like you're still far behind us in that respect.
I saw the painting in Berlin a couple of years ago, I had never heard of it before, and a beautiful young man came up to me and said "this is my favourite painting, can you take a picture of me with it?" It was amazing to see a stranger so moved and delighted by an artistic object, and a memorable shared moment. (This is the 1883 version btw, and I think the best of Böcklin's series).
The light scattered through the dark cypresses, mixing with the shadows cast by the grey clouds above the island. We arrived the shore with a feeling of awe and dread, not knowing that awaiting us was a haunting dance with the dead.
I will always remember this as the soundtrack for the swiss arthouse-documantary "The Congress of Penguins" of 1993, a film that would deserve much more attention.
I was delighted to hear this in a game. Its fascinating to me how this came about: a painting made over a hundred years ago, a composition based on the painting, and in the 21st century a video game inspired by it. There is something beautiful about this painting touching the hearts of people across three different centuries.
@@nicholasthurmond4006 Moreover, this picture in the real world is not finished, you can feel the depth of symbolism in Signalis, because in the game the picture was also not finished, I hope this will give you the right thoughts.
