Suite No. 1 (Rachmaninoff)

Suite No. 1 in G minor (or Fantaisie-tableaux), Op. 5, is a suite for two pianos written by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The suite was a musical depiction of four poems written in the summer of 1893 at the Lysikof estate in Lebeden, Kharkov.[1] The premiere took place in Moscow, on November 30, 1893, played by Rachmaninoff himself alongside Pavel Pabst.[2] The work was dedicated to Tchaikovsky,[3] who intended to attend the work's premiere, but died five weeks prior.[4] Its four movements alongside their respective poems are as follows:

  1. Barcarolle. Allegretto, in G minor. After Mikhail Lermontov.
  2. La nuit... L'amour... (The night...the love...). Adagio sostenuto, in D major. After Lord Byron. La Nuit et l’amour is an orchestral piece of 1888 by Augusta Holmes, which has a very similar opening motif.
  3. Les Larmes (The Tears). Largo di molto, in G minor. After Fyodor Tyutchev.
  4. Pâques (Easter). Allegro maestoso, in G minor. After Aleksey Khomyakov.

Rachmaninoff composed a second suite for two pianos in 1901.
The Suite No. 1 was arranged for orchestra by Rebekah Harkness. A 1968 recording by Jorge Mester and the London Philharmonic Orchestra was released in 1994 on Citadel Records.[citation needed]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Bertensson & Leyda 1956, p. 58.
  2. ^ Bertensson & Leyda 1956, p. 62.
  3. ^ Bertensson & Leyda 1956, pp. 58, 62.
  4. ^ Martyn 1990, p. 76.

Sources

  • Bertensson, Sergei; Leyda, Jay (1956). Sergei Rachmaninoff – A Lifetime in Music. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-814-70044-0.
  • Martyn, Barrie (1990). Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor. Aldershot: Scolar Press. ISBN 978-0-859-67809-4.
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