zygis 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.
zygis on Apr 17th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto Op. 1 No. 1 in F sharp minor
Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1, in 1892, when he was 19 years old. He dedicated the work to Alexander Siloti. He revised the work thoroughly in 1917.
zygis on Apr 17th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 3 in C sharp minor
Prelude in C sharp minor (Russian: Прелюдия), Op. 3, no. 2, is one of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s most famous compositions. It is a ternary (ABA) prelude in C sharp minor, 62 measures long, and part of a set of five pieces entitled Morceaux de Fantaisie.
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 13 in D flat major
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Alexis Weissenberg
Prelude Op. 32 No. 13 in D flat major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G sharp minor
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Vadim Chaimovich
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Valentina Lisitsa
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Sofronitsky
Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G sharp minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 11 in B major
By Emil Gilels
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 11 in B major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B minor
By Valentina Lisitsa
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 9 in A major
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 9 in A major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 8 in A minor
By David Fung
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 8 in A minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 7 in F major
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 7 in F major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 6 in F minor
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 6 in F minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 5 in G major
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Vadim Chaimovich
By Valentina Lisitsa
By Grigory Sokolov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 5 in G major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 4 in E minor
By Dmitri Levkovich
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 4 in E minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 3 in E major
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 3 in E major sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 2 in B flat minor
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 2 in B flat minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 11th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 1 in C major
By Lillya Zilberstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 32 No. 1 in C major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 10 in G flat major
By Emil Gilels
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Grigory Sokolov
By Evgeny Kissin
Prelude Op. 23 No. 10 in G flat major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 9 in E flat minor
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Grigory Sokolov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 23 No. 9 in E flat minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 8 in A flat major
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Grigory Sokolov
Prelude Op. 23 No. 8 in A flat major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 7 in C minor
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Vadim Chaimovich
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Grigory Sokolov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 23 No. 7 in C minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 6 in E flat major
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Van Cliburn
By Vladimir Sofronitsky
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Grigory Sokolov
Prelude Op. 23 No. 6 in E flat major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minor
The Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5 is a composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff completed 1901. It was included in his Opus 23 set of ten preludes despite having been written two years earlier than the other nine. It is an epitome of Rachmaninoff’s Russian nationalism, rife with full chords and evocative melodies.The Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5 is a composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff completed 1901. It was included in his Opus 23 set of ten preludes despite having been written two years earlier than the other nine. It is an epitome of Rachmaninoff’s Russian nationalism, rife with full chords and evocative melodies.
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 in D major
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Grigory Sokolov
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 in D major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 3 in D minor
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Grigory Sokolov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 23 No. 3 in D minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 2 in B flat major
By Evgeny Kissin
By Emil Gilels
By Valentina Igoshina
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Grigory Sokolov
Prelude Op. 23 No. 2 in B flat major sheet music
zygis on Apr 10th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 1 in F sharp minor
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Grigory Sokolov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. 23 No. 1 in F sharp minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 7th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 9 in D major
By Alexander Gavrylyuk
By Pavel Raikerus
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 9 in D major sheet music
zygis on Apr 7th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 8 in D minor
This piece is a lyrical and musical study of double notes. It requires precise pedaling, flexible and independent figures, and agility. The piece has very long, defined legato melodic lines that are contrasted by a staccato middle section.
zygis on Apr 7th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 7 in C minor
By Alexander Gavrylyuk
By Vladimir Kuznetsov Venue
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 7 in C minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 7th, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 6 in A minor
This aggressive and daunting piece opens with threatening chromatic octave runs low on the keyboard, answered by quick, chattering treble figures that eventually transform themselves into a march. The music grows hectic and, having reached presto, sounds nearly out of control. The effect of the piece is seemingly mysterious yet fully unified. Referred to as “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”, the piece ends with the chromatic runs sounding as though the wolf swallowed Red Riding Hood whole.
zygis on Apr 2nd, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 5 in E-flat minor
By Evgeny Kissin
By Alexander Gavrylyuk
By Alexei Sultanov
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 5 in E-flat minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 2nd, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 4 in B minor
By Alexander Gavrylyuk
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Sofronitsky
By Nikolai Lugansky
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 4 in B minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 2nd, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 3 in F sharp minor
By Andrei Gavrilov
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 3 in F sharp minor sheet music
zygis on Apr 2nd, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 2 in A minor
Also known as “The Sea and the Seagulls”. Though technically simple, the work contains many musical textures that make it a difficult study in touch. This melancholy piece requires much restraint from the performer to project the sedate mood of this etude. A sensitive performance is required to keep the performance from being monotonous. The technical workings of the etude is the 2 over 3 timing, the crossing hands, and large span of the arpeggiated figures for the left hand. The ending is tragic and poetic.
zygis on Apr 1st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 39 No. 1 in C minor
This agitated, passionate étude exploits some of the piano’s resources almost unrelentingly, demanding a tireless right hand, an often daringly syncopated left hand and considerable dexterity to illuminate inner voices. Technically, the music is in an almost continual climax. It bares a resemblance to Chopin’s Prelude in E flat minor.
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 8 in C sharp minor
A big, loud piece with prevalent patterns of leaps in the left hand, creating a huge roar. The piece has grand dissonances but also contains a gorgeous romantic interlude. There are two references to the Prélude in C-sharp minor; could this piece be a venting of his anger and frustration at the public’s fascination with and demand for him to play that early prélude?
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 7 in G minor
A melancholy piece whose sixteenth note accompaniment interweaves between hands. The main difficulty of the piece is facilitating smooth alterations with the hands without affecting the fluency of the melody.
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 6 in E flat major
Nicknamed “Scene at the Fair” as confessed by Rachmaninoff himself to Respighi, the piece conjures a playful and vibrant atmosphere, with its blaring fanfare opening thirds and wild alternating chords. The middle section poses a great pianistic problem with huge leaps of the hand that lead to chordal actions, which at points are 10th chords, rendering playing the figures at the correct tempo much more difficult. The piece requires strength, precision,endurance, rhythmic control, and dynamic and tonal balance.
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 5 in E flat minor
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Sviatoslav Richter
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 5 E flat minor sheet music
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 3 in C minor
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 3 in C minor sheet music
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 2 in C major
By Abdel Rahman El Bacha
By Hélène Grimaud
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
By Vladimir Horowitz
By Nikolai Lugansky
Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 2 C major sheet music
zygis on Mar 31st, 2009Sergei Rachmaninov Etude – tableaux Op. 33 No. 1 in F minor
This piece is a study on alternating hands and syncopations. The piece shifts unsteadily throughout in time signature from 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 3/2. Some find parallels between this piece and Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 4, jestingly saying that Rachmaninoff played it while writing this etude
zygis on Mar 17th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Berceuse Op. 57 in D flat major
Frédéric Chopin’s Berceuse Op. 57 is a lullaby in the form of variations in D-flat major.
At first the composer titled the work Variations but the title was altered for publication to the current Berceuse.
The music begins and ends in 6/8 time. ‘Berceuse’ literally means “cradle song”
zygis on Mar 16th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Tarantelle Op. 43 in A flat major
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Tarantelle Op. 43 in A flat major sheet music
zygis on Mar 12th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Prelude Op. posth. A flat major
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Prelude Op. posth. in A flat major sheet music
zygis on Mar 12th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Rondo Op. 16 in E flat major
By Ludmil Angelov
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Rondo Op. 16 in E flat major sheet music
zygis on Mar 12th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Rondo Op. 5 Rondo à la Mazur in F major
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Rondo Op. 5 Rondo à la Mazur in F major sheet music
zygis on Mar 12th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Rondo Op. 1 in C minor
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Rondo Op. 1 C minor sheet music
zygis on Mar 9th, 2009Frédric Chopin Mazurka Op. 41 No. 1 in C sharp minor
By Arthur Rubinstein
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Mazurka Op. 41 No. 1 in C sharp minor sheet music
zygis on Feb 15th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Nocturne C minor Op. posth
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
zygis on Feb 9th, 2009Frédéric Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1
By Vladimir Ashkenazy
Etude Op. 10 No. 1 sheet music
