Dec 08, 2008 Evgeny Kissin Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 3 No 2 in C Sharp minor. Mix - Rachmaninoff Prelude in g minor op. 23 #5 HQ YouTube; Valentina Lisitsa plays Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.
Ten Preludes, Op. 23, is a set of ten preludes for solo piano, composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1901 and 1903. This set includes the famous Prelude in G minor.
Together with the Prelude in C♯ minor, Op. 3/2 and the 13 Preludes, Op. 32, this set is part of a full suite of 24 preludes in all the major and minor keys.
Composition[edit]
Op. 23 is composed of ten preludes, ranging from two to five minutes in length. Combined, the pieces take around thirty minutes to perform. They are:
Rachmaninoff completed Prelude No. 5 in 1901. The remaining preludes were completed after Rachmaninoff's marriage to his cousin Natalia Satina: Nos. 1, 4, and 10 premiered in Moscow on February 10, 1903, and the remaining seven were completed soon thereafter.[1] 1900–1903 were difficult years for Rachmaninoff and his motivation for writing the Preludes was predominantly financial.[2] Rachmaninoff composed the works in the Hotel America, financially dependent on his cousin Alexander Siloti, to whom the Preludes are dedicated.
Analysis[edit]
Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes abandon the traditional short prelude form delineated by composers such as Bach, Scriabin, and Chopin. Unlike Chopin's set, some half-page musical fragments, Rachmaninoff's Ten Preludes last for several minutes each, expanding into complex polyphonic forms with musically independent sections.[2] The pieces perhaps represent a culmination of the Romantic idiom.[3] The set reflects Rachmaninoff's experience as a virtuoso pianist and master composer, testing the '...technical, tonal, harmonic, rhythmic, lyrical, and percussive capabilities of the piano.'[3]
The popular Prelude in C♯ minor, Op. 3, No. 2 perhaps unfairly eclipses the Op. 23 Preludes. Rachmaninoff remarked, '...I think the Preludes of Op. 23 are far better music than my first Prelude, but the public has shown no disposition to share in my belief....' [4] The composer never played all of the Preludes in one sitting, preferring to cycle through a rotating mix of his favorites.[5] Nonetheless, certain characteristics of the work, such as the recurrence of stepwise motion, common chords between adjacent preludes, and the bookended relationship between the first and last preludes (both marked Largo, with the latter in the parallel major of the former) suggest that the works could be played as a set. Together with Op. 32 and Op. 3, Rachmaninoff's Preludes represent all twenty-four major and minor keys.[6]
From a performance standpoint, the ten Op. 23 Preludes exhibit wide variations in difficulty. Nos. 1, 4, 5, and 10 are conceivably in reach of the 'advanced-intermediate' pianist, while the endurance and dexterity demanded by nos. 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and – above all – 9, require more advanced skill.[3] Nonetheless, even the 'easier' preludes present subtle interpretive challenges in counterpoint, dynamic control, and timing, putting true mastery of the pieces out of reach to all but those with virtuosic skill.[3]
Reception and criticism[edit]
The Ten Preludes, along with the Op. 3 prelude and the Thirteen Preludes of Op. 32, are considered to be among Rachmaninoff's best works for solo piano.[3] The 'Russian' quality of the Op. 23 preludes is often noted by listeners: after hearing Boris Asafyev play the preludes, the painter Ilya Repin noted a streak of Russian nationalism and originality in rhythm and melody. At the same recital, Vladimir Stasov praised the characteristic 'Rachmaninoff sound' and unusual and innovative bell-like quality of the pieces, and Maxim Gorky simply noted, 'How well he hears the silence.'[3]
Music editions[edit]
Most editions of the Op. 23 Preludes contain significant editorial distortions in dynamics and phrasing. In 1986, Ruth Laredo set out to produce the first authentic version but was unable to obtain the original manuscripts. The Piano Quarterly praised Laredo's editorial practices, remarking that, 'this seems to be the edition to own.'
However, in 1992, Boosey & Hawkes published an edition edited by Robert Threlfall, who had managed to obtain access to the original manuscripts. This edition is widely regarded as the first truly authentic version.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Norris, Geoffrey, Rachmaninoff, pg. 170 Schirmer Books (1993).
- ^ abLamagra, Anthony J., A Source Book for the Suty of Rachmaninoff's 'Preludes', Ed.D. dissertation, Columbia University (Publication No. AAT 6702817).
- ^ abcdefLamagra, Anthony J., A Source Book for the Suty of Rachmaninoff's 'Preludes', Ed.D. dissertation, Columbia University (Publication No. AAT 6702817), p.232.
- ^Sergi Bertensson and Jay Leyda, Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music, NYU Press, p.162 (1956).
- ^Martyn, Barrie, Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor', Scholar Press (1990).'
- ^Martyn, Barrie, Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor', p. 148, Scholar Press (1990).'
- ^Cunningham, Robert, Jr., Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Bio-Bibliography, Greenwood Press (2001).
External links[edit]
- Preludes, Op. 23: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- ‹See Tfd›(in Russian)Piano.ru – Sheet music download
- ‹See Tfd›(in Russian)Chubrik.ru – Audio download
- Prelude in C Minor Op. 23 no. 7 – Live by Chen Ben David (2016) on YouTube
- Prelude in G minor Op. 23 no. 5 – Live by Emil Gilels (1978) on YouTube
- Prelude in B-flat Major Op. 23 no. 2 – Live by Svytoslaw Richter on YouTube
The first measure introduces the prelude's idiosyncratic jumps.
Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5, is a piece of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, completed in 1901.[1] It was included in his Opus 23 set of ten preludes, despite having been written two years earlier than the other nine. Rachmaninoff himself premiered the piece in Moscow on February 10, 1903, along with Preludes No. 1 and 2 from Op. 23.[1]
Structure[edit]
The Prelude's taut structure is in ternary form, consisting of an opening 'A' section with punctuated sixteenth-note chords (marked: Alla marcia, march), a more lyrical and melancholy 'B' section with sweeping arpeggios in the left hand (marked: Poco meno mosso), a transition into the original tempo, and a recapitulation of the initial march.
The Alla marcia section is in itself in ternary ABA form. Within the first three measures of the Prelude, Rachmaninoff introduces the unifying factors of the piece (notwithstanding the Poco meno mosso section). First, the chordal march of measure one; second, the fragment on the second half of the beat in measure two; third, the fragment on the second half of beat two in measure three.
Measures 2 and 3
Measures 1–9 expand on the march theme. Following a cadence in the dominant, the section repeats in measures 10–16 with slight alterations and concludes in a G minor perfect cadence.
The 'B' subsection of the Alla marcia section (measures 17–24) mirrors the rhythm of the first measure, presenting a sequence of related chords beginning with E♭.
Measures 17 and 18
In contrast to the Alla marcia, the 'B' section introduces a lyrical chordal melody over an extended arpeggiated figure. Beginning in measure 35, a two-measure phrase is repeated and then serially extended in measures 39–41. A counter melody appears at measure 42 in the middle voice, intensifying the passage.
Measures 35–36
Measure 42
Following the middle section, the Prelude transitions to a recapitulation of the march section by gradual increases in tempo and dynamics. The section uses of chromatically upward moving chords following embellished diminished seventh figures.
![Prelude In G Minor Rachmaninoff Pdf Prelude In G Minor Rachmaninoff Pdf](https://sheetmusic.pianoshelf.com/sheetmusicimg/Rachmaninoff-Prelude-Op-23-No-5-Prelude-in-G-minor-page1-51ca6ffcaa16c.jpg)
Measure 72
Finally, the piece ends in a highly original way: a short arpeggiated run to a high G, marked pianissimo.
Measure 84
Recordings[edit]
Emil Gilels played this prelude at a front in World War II, in support for the Sovietmilitary forces fighting in the war. The narrator says (in Russian): 'Gilels is playing at the front, to remind us what the war is worth fighting for: Immortal music!'[2]
This prelude is one of the most performed and recorded pieces of the Op. 23 set.
References[edit]
- ^ abNorris, Geoffrey (1993). Rachmaninoff. Schirmer Books. p. 170.
- ^'Gilels – Prelude Op 23 No 5 – Rachmaninoff'. YouTube. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
External links[edit]
- Opus 23: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)