Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

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Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Russian: Рапсодия на тему Паганини, Rapsodiya na temu Paganini) in A minor, opus 43, is a concertante work (23 minutes in length) for solo piano and symphony orchestra by Sergei Rachmaninoff. According to the score, the work was written from July 3 to August 18, 1934. Rachmaninoff himself, a noted interpreter of his own works, played the solo piano part at the piece's premiere at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland on November 7, 1934 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

[edit] Structure

The piece is a set of 24 variations on the twenty-fourth and last of Niccolò Paganini's Caprices for solo violin, which has inspired works by several composers.

Introduction: Allegro vivace - Variation I (Precedente)
Tema: L'istesso tempo
Variation II: L'istesso tempo
Variation III: L'istesso tempo
Variation IV: Più vivo
Variation V: Tempo precedente
Variation VI: L'istesso tempo
Variation VII: Meno mosso, a tempo mederato
Variation VIII: Tempo I
Variation IX: L'istesso tempo
Variation X: L'istesso tempo
Variation XI: Moderato
Variation XII: Tempo di minuetto
Variation XIII: Allegro
Variation XIV: L'istesso tempo
Variation XV: Più vivo scherzando
Variation XVI: Allegretto
Variation XVII: Allegretto
Variation XVIII: Andante cantabile
Variation XIX: A tempo vivace
Variation XX: Un poco più vivo
Variation XXI: Un poco più vivo
Variation XXII: Un poco più vivo (Alla breve)
Variation XXIII: L'istesso tempo
Variation XXIV: A tempo un poco meno mosso

Although Rachmaninoff's work is performed in one stretch with no breaks, it can be divided into three sections, corresponding to the three movements of a concerto: up to variation 11 corresponds to the first movement, variations 12 to 18 are the equivalent of a slow movement, and the remaining variations make a finale.^[1]

After a brief introduction, the first variation is played before the theme. Paginini's theme is stated on strings with the piano picking out salient notes, after the first variation. Rachmaninoff likely got the idea of having a variation before the theme from the the finale of Beethoven's Eroica symphony.^[2] Variations II to VI recombine elements of the theme. The pauses and rhetorical flourishes for the piano in variation VI herald a change of tempo and tone. The piano next gravely intones the Dies Irae, the "day of wrath" plainchant from the medieval Mass of the Dead, while the orchestra accompanies with a slower version of the opening motif of the Paganini theme. The piece is one of several by Rachmaninoff to quote the Dies Irae plainchant melody.

The slow eighteenth variation is by far the most well-known, and it is often included on classical music compilations without the rest of the work. It consists an inversion of the melody of Paganini's rhapsody. Rachmaninoff himself recognized the appeal of this variation, noting "This one, is for my agent."^[3] This variation has been featured in several movies, including ^[4]

(1953) The Story of Three Loves
(1954) Rhapsody
(1980) Somewhere in Time
(1991) Dead Again
(1993) Groundhog Day
(1995) Sabrina
(1998) Ronin

In collaboration with Rachmaninoff, the choreographer Michel Fokine created the ballet Paganini using Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini as the score. It was premiered in 1939 at Covent Garden in England.

[edit] References

^ Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini notes by Paul Serotsky. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
^ Steinberg, Michael. "The Concerto: a listeners guide". p. 367-370. Oxford University Press, 1998.
^ Steinberg, Michael. "The Concerto: a listeners guide". p. 367-370. Oxford University Press, 1998.
^ Sergei Rachmaninov page at the Internet Movie Database