zygis on May 20th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Sonata Op. 28 No. 1 in D minor
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 28, is a piano sonata in D minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff, completed in 1908. It is the first of three “Dresden pieces”, along with Symphony No. 2 and part of an opera, which were composed in the quiet city of Dresden, Germany. It was originally themed after Goethe’s tragic play, Faust, and although Rachmaninoff abandoned the idea soon after beginning composition, traces of this influence can still be found. After numerous revisions and susbstantial cuts made at the advice of his colleagues, he completed it on April 11, 1908. Konstantin Igumnov gave the premiere in Moscow on October 17, 1908. It received a lukewarm response there, and remains one of the more underperformed of Rachmaninoff’s works.
zygis on Apr 8th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Nocturne No. 3 in C minor
By John Ogdon
Nocturne No. 3 in C minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 8th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Nocturne No. 2 in F major
By John Ogdon
Nocturne No. 2 in F major sheet music
zygis on Apr 7th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Nocturne No. 1 in F sharp minor
The first nocturne in F sharp minor, was written 14-21 November 1887, and has three parts: a beginning and an end in andante cantabile and a central section in allegro. The slower andantes are gentle sections, influenced by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, while the allegro is unnatural and stiff and unusually fast for a nocturne.
