Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Russian: Рапсодия на тему Паганини, Rapsodiya na temu Paganini) in A minor, opus 43, is a concertante work (20 to 25 minutes in length), written by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is written for solo piano and symphony orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto. The work was written at Villa Senar, according to the score, from July 3 to August 18 1934. Rachmaninoff himself, a noted interpreter of his own works, played the solo piano part at the piece's premiere at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland on November 7 1934 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

Structure

The piece is a set of 24 variations on the twenty-fourth and last of Niccolò Paganini's Caprices for solo violin, which has inspired works by several composers.

• Introduction: Allegro vivace - Variation I (Precedente)
• Tema: L'istesso tempo
• Variation II: L'istesso tempo
• Variation III: L'istesso tempo
• Variation IV: Più vivo
• Variation V: Tempo precedente
• Variation VI: L'istesso tempo
• Variation VII: Meno mosso, a tempo mederato
• Variation VIII: Tempo I
• Variation IX: L'istesso tempo
• Variation X: L'istesso tempo
• Variation XI: Moderato
• Variation XII: Tempo di minuetto
• Variation XIII: Allegro
• Variation XIV: L'istesso tempo
• Variation XV: Più vivo scherzando
• Variation XVI: Allegretto
• Variation XVII: Allegretto
• Variation XVIII: Andante cantabile
• Variation XIX: A tempo vivace
• Variation XX: Un poco più vivo
• Variation XXI: Un poco più vivo
• Variation XXII: Un poco più vivo (Alla breve)
• Variation XXIII: L'istesso tempo
• Variation XXIV: A tempo un poco meno mosso

Although Rachmaninoff's work is performed in one stretch with no breaks, it can be divided into three sections, corresponding to the three movements of a concerto: up to variation 11 corresponds to the first movement, variations 12 to 18 are the equivalent of a slow movement, and the remaining variations make a finale.^[1]

Composition

After a brief introduction, the first variation is played before the theme. Paganini's theme is stated on strings with the piano picking out salient notes, after the first variation. Rachmaninoff likely got the idea of having a variation before the theme from the the finale of Beethoven's Eroica symphony.^[2] Variations II to VI recombine elements of the theme. The pauses and rhetorical flourishes for the piano in variation VI herald a change of tempo and tone. The piano next gravely intones the Dies Irae, the "day of wrath" plainchant from the medieval Mass of the Dead, while the orchestra accompanies with a slower version of the opening motif of the Paganini theme. The piece is one of several by Rachmaninoff to quote the Dies Irae plainchant melody.

The slow eighteenth variation is by far the most well-known, and it is often included on classical music compilations without the rest of the work. It is based on an inversion of the melody of Paganini's theme. Rachmaninoff himself recognized the appeal of this variation, noting "This one, is for my agent."^[3] This variation has been featured in several movies, including ^[4]

• (1953) The Story of Three Loves
• (1954) Rhapsody
• (1980) Somewhere in Time
• (1991) Dead Again
• (1993) Groundhog Day
• (1995) Sabrina
• (1998) Ronin

In collaboration with Rachmaninoff, the choreographer Michel Fokine created the ballet Paganini using Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini as the score. It was premiered in 1939 at Covent Garden in England.

Selected Recordings

• Sergei Rachmaninoff, pianist, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski, recorded in 1934 (world premiere recording).
• William Kapell, pianist, with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Reiner, recorded in 1951.
• Arthur Rubinstein, pianist, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Reiner, recorded in 1956.

References

1. ^ Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini notes by Paul Serotsky. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
2. ^ Steinberg, Michael. "The Concerto: a listeners guide". p. 367-370. Oxford University Press, 1998.
3. ^ Steinberg, Michael. "The Concerto: a listeners guide". p. 367-370. Oxford University Press, 1998.
4. ^ Sergei Rachmaninov page at the Internet Movie Database

External links

• 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
• The BBC's Discovering Music (includes a link to a .ram (for the RealNetworks audio player) file discussing the piece)
• Programme notes from classicalnotes.co.uk
• MIDI file for 18th Variation
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.

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