Alexandre Rabinovitch Suite No 1 example essay topic

Rachmaninov - Suites Op. 5 & Op. 17 - Symphonic Dances Op. 45 TEL DEC Classics International (Catalog #: 9031-74717-2) Martha Argerich (Piano), Alexandre Rabinovitch (Piano) Suite No. 1 "Fantasie-tableaux" - Barcarolle, La nuit... L'amour, Les lar mes, Paques. (Also on recording) Suite No. 2 - Introduction, Valse, Romance, Tarantella. Symphonic Dances - Non Allegro, Andante con mo to, Lento assai.

Sergei Rachmaninov was born on April 1, 1873 in Russia. As a child Rachmaninov had an extraordinary talent at the piano. At age nine he entered the College of Music in St. Petersburg but because of his natural gift did not bother to study. Giving up on college in St. Petersburg, Rachmaninov moved to Moscow to live with Nikolai Zvereff of the Moscow Conservatory, one of the leading music teachers in Russia at the time. In 1892, he graduated from the conservatory with high honors. In 1909, Rachmaninov made his first visit to the United States and received an enthusiastic welcome.

Afterwards, he visited America once every season. Rachmaninov died on March 28, 1943 only a few weeks after attaining his American citizenship, and only five days before his seventieth birthday. During his career Rachmaninov wrote some 145 compositions. Martha Argerich was born in Argentina, and has been playing piano since the age of five. She first hit the international music headlines in 1957, when she won first prize at the Busoni Competition, and at the Geneva International Music Competition. In 1960 she released her first record.

Argerich's style is a blend of many major classical musicians, particularly Chopin, Liszt, Bartok, and Prokofiev. In 1945, Alexandre Rabinovitch was born in the Soviet Union. He studied the piano at the Moscow Conservatoire, and eventually made a name for himself as one of the Soviet Union's most prominent musicians. In 1974, Rabinovitch left the USSR because there was little chance for him to give concerts and present his own compositions in public. At first Rabinovitch settled in France, but soon made a name for himself as both a pianist and a composer throughout Europe. Since 1980, Rabinovitch has lived in Geneva and his works have been performed at numerous festivals in Vienna and Munich.

These two great pianists have teamed up to perform three of Rachmaninov's suites from various operas. The composition of interest in this recording is one of Rachmaninov's earliest works. It opens with Suite No. 1"Bar colle". This movement centers around G-minor, branching off occasionally, providing perhaps almost an awkward sound at times. It opens with a sequence of smooth yet rapid-moving glissando's up and down the piano by Rabinovitch. A couple minutes into the tune, Argerich makes her presence known by striking a few thunderous chords, while Rabinovitch continues with his quick, graceful fingers.

The tempo of this arrangement is wavelike with no constant meter. Argerich compliments Rabinovitch's moving lines nicely as this piece continues throughout. It almost sounds as if each piano is arguing with the other. Throughout most of the movement Argerich is playing a more melodramatic, emotional moving line, while Rabinovitch's playing is highly aggressive and energetic. It draws to a close with Argerich sputtering out, leaving a perfect entrance for the next movement.

In the second movement "La nuit... L'amour", the image of a lovers conversation and / or quarrel comes to mind. The key is a tricky one with many minor and diminished chords complimented by powerful major chords. Once again it seems as though the two pianos are talking to each other and running into quite a few arguments, but working it out in the end, arriving back to the peaceful, joyous melody that had been present at the opening. The third movement is "Les lar mes". It opens up quite slowly with Argerich on, you could say "a barely moving line with a few accidentals".

The sluggish, melancholy feel in this movement is the sole focus. The two pianos trade the spotlight throughout, complimenting each other nicely. While Argerich is playing in a striking forte, you can barely hear Argerich's upper range fluttering all while the dominant, melancholy, emotion (portrayed by Argerich) shines through. More than halfway through, Argerich comes in with a bass note solo changing the mood of the piece entirely to sort of a spooky feel. Every few measures you can hear Rabinovitch fill out the sound with his quick moving treble line, which continues into the next movement. The final movement is entitled "Paques" and starts off as Argerich continues the thundering bass notes signifying the tolling of the Kremlin bells.

"Paques" is entirely outgoing and theatrical loaded with heavy crescendos, and distinct dynamics. Both pianists work nicely together on this one to create a very dramatic rendition of Rachmaninov's composition. The recording quality through the whole CD is excellent, with great balance between the pianos. I recommend this recording to anyone with any interest in classical piano music. However, if you are a fan of Rachmaninov you will probably enjoy this recording, but I suggest you listen to the rest of the arrangements. The rest of the Rachmaninov suites on the album have a different feel about them.

This may be mainly because Suite No. 1 was written at the still-impressionable age of 20 when his style was not completely developed. This suite shows major signs of influence from Tchaikovsky. It isn't a wonder why Rachmaninov originally dedicated it to him.