Suite No. 1 (Rachmaninoff)

Suite No. 1 in G minor (or Fantaisie-tableaux), Op. 5, is a suite for two pianos written by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The suite was a musical depiction of four poems written in the summer of 1893 at the Lysikof estate in Lebeden, Kharkov. ^[1] The premiere took place in Moscow, on November 30, 1893, played by Rachmaninoff himself alongside Pavel Pabst. ^[2] The work was dedicated to Tchaikovsky, ^[3] who intended to attend the work's premiere, but died five weeks prior. ^[4] Its four movements alongside their respective poems are as follows:

1. Barcarolle. Allegretto, in G minor. After Mikhail Lermontov.
2. La nuit... L'amour... (The night...the love...). Adagio sostenuto, in D major. After Lord Byron. La Nuit et l’amour is an orchestral piece of 1888 by Augusta Holmes, which has a very similar opening motif.
3. Les Larmes (The Tears). Largo di molto, in G minor. After Fyodor Tyutchev.
4. Pâques (Easter). Allegro maestoso, in G minor. After Aleksey Khomyakov.

Rachmaninoff composed a second suite for two pianos in 1901. The Suite No. 1 was arranged for orchestra by Rebekah Harkness. A 1968 recording by Jorge Mester and the London Philharmonic Orchestra was released in 1994 on Citadel Records.^{[ citation needed ] [5]}

References

Citations

1. Bertensson & Leyda 1956, p.  58.
2. Bertensson & Leyda 1956, p.  62.
3. Bertensson & Leyda 1956, pp.  58, 62.
4. Martyn 1990, p. 76.
5. Haller, Steven J (May 1995). "Guide to records -- Rachmaninoff's 2-Piano Suites, orch Harkness by Lee Hoiby, Steven Gordon and Nadia Gordon, London Philharmonic under Jorge Mester and London Symphony under Lawrence Foster".

Sources

• Bertensson, Sergei; Leyda, Jay (1956). Sergei Rachmaninoff – A Lifetime in Music . New York: New York University Press. ISBN   978-0-814-70044-0.
• Martyn, Barrie (1990). Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor. Aldershot: Scolar Press. ISBN   978-0-859-67809-4.

External links

• Suite No. 1 for two pianos : Scores at the International Music Score Library Project