Sound Samples 06 - Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1

Rachmaninoff: Concertos Nos. 1 & 3

About the Composer: A familiar name in the world of classical music, Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was one of Russia’s most well known romantic composers. Despite suffering from severe depression after receiving harsh reception from some of the critics of his time, Rachmaninoff has established a reputation as one of the greatest architects of piano solos and concertos.

About the Music: Rachmaninoff created four piano concertos during his lifetime, but it is his second and third that have achieved the greatest level of popularity. The second concerto is a perennial favourite of orchestras worldwide, and its successor has long been praised for its haunting melodies and challenging intricacies that can confound even the most seasoned pianists. The fourth concerto seems to be regarded as a lesser work and tends to be neglected. His first concerto, created in 1891 and then revised in 1917, however, has been performed by a number of artists and but has never managed to reach the prominence held by its two eldest brothers even though it shares many of the same motifs. When I first listened to a 1957 recording of Rachmaninoff’s first concerto executed by American pianist Byron Janis and Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Fritz Reiner, I was not enthralled, but after a while I began to better identify the unique aspects of the piece that I had previously overlooked.

Like the second and third concertos, Rachmaninoff begins with a melancholic and compelling theme that is featured throughout the first movement. I actually prefer this passage to the one present in the second concerto since it bears that air of mystery which really captures your attention.

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Even if the music in the introductory movement is generally downcast, Rachmaninoff occasionally includes some small yet focused sparkling beams into the work.

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The second movement is fairly cold in nature, but as creative composers such as Rachmaninoff demonstrate, cold music needn’t be equated with monotonous-sounding melodies.

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As with the final movement in the third concerto, the tone of the first’s third movement veers away from gloominess and allows Rachmaninoff to craft an upbeat, boisterous finale. The passage here exhibits some of the uplifting notes which lead towards the conclusion.

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The first piano concerto is one of those pieces that did not immediately capture my interest, but after investing some time into careful listening, it has become one of my favourite Rachmaninoff works.