Piano Concerto No. 4

The Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 by Sergei Rachmaninoff was completed in 1941 after several earlier versions were written in 1927 and 1928. It is written in three movements:

1. Allegro vivace
2. Largo
3. Allegro vivace

The concerto is probably the least known of all Rachamaninoff's piano concertos, but it is frequently performed in Russia. Like most of Rachmaninoff's late works, the concerto has a daring chromaticism and a distinctive jazzy quality.

The first version was premiered in 1927 with conductor Leopold Stokowski, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the composer as soloist. It was met with lukewarm praise. Rachmaninoff eventually revised parts of the first and third movements, but the work has never become as popular as the other concertos.

There may be several reasons for this. The structure was criticized for being amorphous and difficult to grasp on a single hearing. Many have noted Rachmaninoff's inspiration from George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a piece for piano and orchestra completed in 1924, only three years before Rachmaninoff finished his own. These jazz elements, most felt, were not consistent with Rachmaninoff's previous brooding and dark themes. Only the second movement (Largo) contains a prominent melody, while the external movements seem to be comprised mainly of virtuosic piano runs and cadenzas.

Selected Recordings

1. Sergei Rachmaninoff, pianist, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, recorded in 1941.
2. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pianist, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Ettore Gracis, recorded in 1957.
3. Jean-Yves Thibaudet, with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, recorded in 1996.

External links

• Piano Concerto No. 4: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra An analysis of Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra including the Piano Concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody

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