Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)
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The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (colloquially known as the Rach 3) is famous for its technical and musical demands on the performer. It is one of the most difficult works for piano ever written and has the reputation of being the most difficult concerto in the entire piano repertoire (the Piano Concerto Op. 39 by Busoni is arguably even more taxing, but it has never entered the standard repertoire).
Following the form of a standard concerto, the piece is in three movements:
- Allegro ma non tanto
- Intermezzo: Adagio
- Finale: Alla breve
The third movement follows the second without pause (attacca).
Contents |
[edit] Movements
[edit] Allegro ma non tanto
The first movement revolves around a sweet melody that is diatonic and moving, which soon develops into complex pianistic figuration. It reaches a number of ferocious climaxes, especially in the cadenza. Rachmaninoff wrote two versions of this cadenza: the dramatic and powerful original, commonly notated as the ossia, and a second one with a lighter, more toccata-like feel. In his recording of the concerto, the composer used the second cadenza.
[edit] Intermezzo: Adagio
The second movement consists of a number of variations around a single lush, heavily romantic melody following one another without a rigid scheme. It ends with a short cadenza-esque passage which transitions into the last movement without pause.
[edit] Finale: Alla breve
The third movement is quick and vigorous and contains variations on many of the themes that are used in the first movement, which unites the whole concerto cyclically. The last movement is concluded with a triumphant and passionate melody in D major. The piece ends with the same four-note rhythm – claimed by some to be the composer's musical signature – as the composer's second concerto.
[edit] History
Written in the peaceful setting of his family's country estate, Ivanovka, Rachmaninoff completed the concerto on September 23, 1909. He wrote the work in order to showcase his own talents not only as a composer, but as a pianist. Contemporary with this work are his First Piano Sonata and his tone poem The Isle of the Dead.
The concerto is respected, even feared, by most pianists. Józef Hofmann, the pianist to whom the work is dedicated, never publicly performed it, saying that it "wasn't for" him (though this must have been for reasons other than the work's technical difficulty, since Hofmann was one of the greatest technicians in pianistic history).
Due to time constraints, Rachmaninoff could not practice the piece while in Russia. Instead, he practiced it on a silent keyboard that he took with him on the ship to the US.
The concerto was first performed on November 28, 1909 by Rachmaninov himself with the now-defunct New York Symphony Society with Walter Damrosch conducting, at the New Theater (later rechristened the Century Theater). It received a second performance under Gustav Mahler several weeks later, an 'experience Rachmaninoff treasured' [1]. The manuscript was first published in 1910 by Gutheil. The first performance in England was given by G T Ball (later Sir George Thalben-Ball) at the Royal College of Music in London.
A typical performance lasts around 40 minutes.
[edit] Performances and recordings
The first recording of the concerto was made by Vladimir Horowitz accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates for the HMV label in 1930.
Many other famous pianists have recorded the concerto, including Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jorge Bolet, Van Cliburn, Lazar Berman, Vladimir Feltsman, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, Bernd Glemser, Stephen Hough, Byron Janis, Evgeny Kissin, Nikolai Lugansky, Dimitris Sgouros, Sean Bennett, Arcadi Volodos, Earl Wild, Olga Kern and Rachmaninoff himself. One might note, however, that Rachmaninoff made a total of 6 cuts throughout the piece when he recorded it.
One of the most famous recordings of the piece, known for its speed, is that of Martha Argerich performing live with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Riccardo Chailly.
A recent (1995), highly acclaimed recording of the Rach 3 is by Leif Ove Andsnes with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paavo Berglund.
According to some critics, the most technically astounding Rach 3 ever registered is a live performance by Vladimir Horowitz accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli, available on a pirate recording made in 1941.
[edit] Further reading
- W.R. Anderson: Rachmaninov and his pianoforte concertos. A brief sketch of the composer and his style. London 1947
[edit] Audio sample
- Sample from Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3
30-second sample from 1st movement (Allegro ma non tanto)
Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn, 1972
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] External links
- The Rach 3 recordings page
- 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
- Score of Piano Concerto No.3 at IMSLP
