on May 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto Op. 40 No.4 in G minor
Sergei Rachmaninoff completed his Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 in 1926 and the work currently exists in three versions. Following its unsuccessful premiere he made cuts and other amendments before publishing it in 1928. With continued lack of success, he withdrew the work, eventually revising and republishing it in 1941. The original manuscript version was released in 2000 by the Rachmaninoff Estate to be published and recorded. The work is dedicated to Nikolai Medtner, who in turn dedicated his Second Piano Concerto to Rachmaninoff.
Compared to its predecessors, the Fourth contains sharper thematic profiles along with a refinement of textures in keyboard and orchestra. These qualities do not lead to greater simplicity but to a different sort of complexity. It was also a continuation of Rachmaninoff’s long-range creative growth. The Third and the recomposed First Concertos were less heavily orchestrated than the Second. In keeping with its general character, the Fourth is lighter still yet more oblique.
The concerto is written in three movements:
- Allegro vivace (G minor)
- Largo (C major)
- Allegro vivace (G major)
Rachmaninoff had already been making a more extensive use of short thematic motifs and strong rhythmic patterns in his Op. 32 Preludes in place of what was called the “unmentionable restlessness” that made his work, especially the concertos, a distressing experience for some musicians. This refinement of musical language, especially in orchestration, went back at least to The Bells and a more astringent tone was already noticeable in songs like “The Raising of Lazarus”, Op. 34 No. 6.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vladmir Ashkenazy: piano
Andre Previn: conductor
London Symphony Orchestra
part 1/3 (I)
part 2/3 (II)
part 3/3 (III)
Nikolai Lugansky: piano
Ivan Shpiller: conductor
State Academy Symphony Orchestra of Russia
part 1/3 (I)
part 2/3 (II)
part 3/3 (III)
