Rachmaninoff D minor Sonata Op 28 II Lento Zoltán Kocsis, analysis with sheet music
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28, is a piano sonata by Sergei Rachmaninoff, completed in 1908. It is the first of three “Dresden pieces”, along with Symphony No. 2 and part of an opera, which were composed in the quiet city of Dresden, Germany.
It was originally inspired by Goethe‘s tragic play Faust; although Rachmaninoff abandoned the idea soon after beginning composition, traces of this influence can still be found. After numerous revisions and substantial cuts made at the advice of his colleagues, he completed it on April 11, 1908. Konstantin Igumnov gave the premiere in Moscow on October 17, 1908. It received a lukewarm response there, and remains one of the least performed of Rachmaninoff’s works.
It has three movements, and takes about 35 minutes to perform. The sonata is structured like a typical Classical sonata, with fast movements surrounding a slower, more tender second movement. The movements feature sprawling themes and ambitious climaxes within their own structure, all the while building towards a prodigious culmination. Although this first sonata is a substantial and comprehensive work, its successor, Piano Sonata No. 2 (Op. 36), written five years later, became the better regarded of the two. Nonetheless, it, too, was given serious cuts and opinions are mixed about those.
Background
In November 1906, Rachmaninoff, with his wife and daughter, moved to Dresden primarily to compose a second symphony to diffuse the critical failure of his first symphony, but also to escape the distractions of Moscow. There they lived a quiet life, as he wrote in a letter, “We live here like hermits: we see nobody, we know nobody, and we go nowhere. I work a great deal,” but even without distraction he had considerable difficulty in composing his first piano sonata, especially concerning its form.
The original idea for it was to be a program sonata based on the main characters of the tragic play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles, and indeed it nearly parallels Franz Liszt‘s own Faust Symphony which is made of three movements which reflect those characters. However, the idea was abandoned shortly after composition began, although the theme is still clear in the final version.
Rachmaninoff enlisted the help of Nikita Morozov, one of his classmates from Anton Arensky‘s class back in the Moscow Conservatory, to discuss how the sonata rondo form applied to his sprawling work. At this time he was invited, along with Alexander Glazunov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander Scriabin, and Feodor Chaliapin, to a concert in Paris the following spring held by Sergei Diaghilev to soothe France–Russia relations, although Diaghilev hated his music. Begrudgingly, Rachmaninoff decided to attend only for the money, since he would have preferred to spend time on this and his Symphony No. 2 (his opera project, Monna Vanna, had been dropped). Writing to Morozov before he left in May 1907, he expressed his doubt in the musicality of the sonata and deprecated its length, even though at this time he had completed only the second movement.
On returning to his Ivanovka estate from the Paris concert, he stopped in Moscow to perform an early version of the sonata to contemporaries Nikolai Medtner, Georgy Catoire, Konstantin Igumnov, and Lev Conus. With their input, he shortened the original 45-minute-long piece to around 35 minutes. He completed the work on April 11, 1908. Igumnov gave the premiere of the sonata on October 17, 1908, in Moscow, and he gave the first performance of the work in Berlin and Leipzig as well, although Rachmaninoff missed all three of these performances.
Composition
Movement 1.
The piece is structured as a typical sonata in the Classical period: the first movement is a long Allegro moderato (moderately quick), the second a Lento (very slow), and the third an Allegro molto (very fast).
- Allegro moderato (in D minor, ends in D major) The substantial first movement Allegro moderato presents most of the thematic material and motifs revisited in the later movements. Juxtaposed in the intro is a motif revisited throughout the movement: a quiet, questioning fifth answered by a defiant authentic cadence, followed by a solemn chord progression. This densely thematic expression is taken to represent the turmoil of Faust’s mind. The movement closes quietly in D major.
- Lento (in F major) In key, the movement pretends to start in D major before settling in the home key of F major. Although the shortest in length and performance time, the second movement Lento provides technical difficulty in following long melodic lines, navigating multiple overlapping voices, and coherently performing the detailed climax, which includes a small cadenza.
- Allegro molto (in D minor) Ending the sonata is the furious third movement Allegro molto. Lacking significant thematic content, the movement serves rather to exploit the piano’s character, not without expense of sonority. The very first measures of the first movement are revisited, and then dissolves into the enormous climax, a tour de force replete with full-bodied chords typical of Rachmaninoff, which decisively ends the piece in D minor.
Reception
Rachmaninoff played early versions of the piece to Oskar von Riesemann (who later became his biographer), who did not like it. Konstantin Igumnov expressed interest upon first hearing it in Moscow, and following his suggestion Rachmaninoff cut about 110 bars.
The sonata had a mediocre evaluation after Igumnov’s premiere in Moscow. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov had died several months previously, and the burden of heading Russian classical music had fallen on this all-Rachmaninoff programme of October 17, 1908. Although the concert, which also included Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22, 1903), was “filled to overflowing”, one critic called the sonata dry and repetitive, however redeeming the interesting details and innovative structures were.
Lee-Ann Nelson, via her 2006 dissertation, noted that Rachmaninoff’s revisions are always cuts, with the material simply excised and discarded. The hypothesis is that the frequency of negative responses to many of his pieces, not just the response to the first symphony, led to a deep insecurity, particularly with regard to length. The musicologists Efstratiou and Martyn argued against, for instance, the cuts made to the second sonata on a formal basis. Unlike other pieces, such as the second piano sonata and the fourth piano concerto, no uncut version of this piece is currently known to be extant.
Today the sonata remains less well-known than Rachmaninoff’s second sonata, and is not as frequently performed or recorded. Champions of the work tend to be pianists renowned for their large repertoire. It has been recorded by Eteri Andjaparidze, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Boris Berezovsky, Idil Biret, Sergio Fiorentino, Leslie Howard, Ruth Laredo, Valentina Lisitsa, Nikolai Lugansky, Olli Mustonen, John Ogdon, Michael Ponti, Santiago Rodriguez, Alexander Romanovsky, Howard Shelley, Daniil Trifonov, Xiayin Wang, and Alexis Weissenberg. Lugansky performs the piece regularly.
Browse in the Library:
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
---|---|---|
The Beatles – Lady Madonna | ||
The Beatles – Let It Be | ||
The Beatles – Let It Be (Musescore File).mscz | ||
The Beatles – Love Me Do | ||
The Beatles – Michelle Guitar Tablature TABs | ||
The Beatles – Michelle Satb | ||
The Beatles – Norwegian Wood | ||
The Beatles – Ob La Di Ob La Da | ||
The Beatles – Play along Guitar with the The Beatles (with AUDIO MP3) with Tablature | Play Guitar With Beatles | |
The Beatles – Play Piano With (pdf + audio MP3 embedded) | Play piano with the beatles | |
The Beatles – Revolution In The Head The Beatles’ Records And The Sixties (Book) Biography | ||
The Beatles – Something (Guitar Chords) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
The Beatles – Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles (Book) by Dominique Pedler | The Beatles – Songwriting Secrets of the The Beatles | |
The Beatles – The Beatles Keyboard Book (23 Hits) Authentic transcriptions | The Beatles – The Beatles Keyboard Book (23 Hits) Authentic transcriptions | |
The Beatles – The Fingerpicking Beatles (30 songs arranged for solo guitar and TAB) | The Beatles – The Fingerpicking Beatles (30 songs arranged for solo guitar and TAB) | |
The Beatles – The Long And Winding Road | ||
The Beatles – The White Album piano (piano, voice & guitar) | The Beatles – The White Album piano | |
The Beatles – With A Little Help From My Friends | ||
The Beatles – Yellow Submarine | ||
The Beatles – Yesterday (Jazz Piano cover sheet music) | The Beatles – Yesterday (Jazz Piano cover sheet music) | |
The Beatles : Love John Lennon and Paul McCArtney (full score instr.) | The Beatles Love | |
The Beatles 1962 1970 (Guitar TAB) | The Beatles Guitar Songbook 1962 1970 | |
The Beatles 9 Songs Arr for guitar by Noriyasu Takeuchi | The Beatles 9 Songs Arr for guitar by Noriyasu Takeuchi | |
The Beatles A Hard Days Night – Guitar Tabs | The Beatles A Hard Days Night – Guitar Tabs | |
The Beatles Abbey Road Piano, Vocal & Guitar | The Beatles Abbey Road Piano, Vocal & Guitar | |
The Beatles Anthology 1 (Piano, vocal, guitar) | The Beatles Anthology 1 (Piano, vocal, guitar) | |
The Beatles As Musicians Revolver Through The Anthology (Walter Everett) Biography | ||
The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl Piano Vocal Guitar | The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl Piano Vocal Guitar | |
The Beatles Because (Guitar) | ||
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook (The Beatles) Guitar Chords | The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook (The Beatles) | |
The Beatles Complete Guitar Edition | The Beatles Complete Guitar Edition | |
The Beatles Fake Book (The Ultimate collection of Fake Books) | The Beatles Fake Book (The Ultimate collection of Fake Books) | |
The Beatles Favorites – Strum It! Guitar | The Beatles Favorites – Strum It! Guitar | |
The Beatles Fifty Fabulous Years – Video documentary Book Biography | ||
The Beatles Fingerpicking – 30 Songs solo guitar with Tablature | The Beatles Fingerpicking – 30 Songs solo guitar | |
The Beatles For Classical Guitar Arr John Hill sheet music with TABs | The Beatles For Classical Guitar Arr John Hill sheet music with TABs | |
The Beatles For Guitar Solo Part 1 by Ken-ichi Ebe | The Beatles For Guitar Solo Part 1 by Ken-ichi Ebe | |
The Beatles For Guitar Solo Part 2 by Ken-ichi Ebe | The Beatles For Guitar Solo Part 2 by Ken-ichi Ebe | |
The Beatles For Jazz Piano (sheet music songbook) | The Beatles For Jazz Piano Music Sheet | |
The Beatles Guitar Play along [Book + CD] Jam with The Beatles – with MP3 audio tracks with Tablature | Jam with the Beatles | |
The Beatles Let It Be Guitar | The Beatles Let It Be Guitar | |
The Beatles Michelle | ||
The Beatles Note for Note (Piano ) | The Beatles Note for Note Piano | |
The Beatles One Two Three Four by Craig Brown (Book) | ||
The Beatles Play Guitar With – play along with MP3 audio background tracks with Tablature | The Beatles Play Guitar With – playalong with MP3 audio background tracks | |
The Beatles Recital Suites For Pianoforte (The Beatles) arr. by Phillip Keveren | The Beatles Recital Suites For Pianoforte (The Beatles) arr. by Phillip Keveren | |
The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart – Book by Allan F. Moore Biography | ||
The Beatles The Capitol Albums Volume 1 Piano Vocal Guitar chords | The Beatles The Capitol Albums Volume 1 Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
The Beatles, the biography by Bob Spitz (book) | ||
The Bee Gees Guitar Songbook | The Bee Gees Guitar Songbook | |
The Best Acoustic Rock Songs Ever Piano Vocal Guitar chords | The Best Acoustic Rock Songs Ever Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
The Best Children’s Songs Ever (Easy Piano) | The Best Children’s Songs Ever (Easy Piano) | |
The Best Film Scores – (easy piano) | easy piano the best film scores | |
The Best In Broadway Sheet Music (Vocal score) | The Best In Broadway Sheet Music (Vocal score) | |
The Best Of Hollywood – 40’s-50’s | The Best Of Hollywood – 40’s-50’s | |
The Best Of Hollywood – 60’s-70’s | The Best Of Hollywood – 60’s-70’s | |
The Best Of Instrumental Themes Cinema | The Best Of Instrumental Themes Cinema | |
The Best Of Kansas Guitar Tabs | Talking Heads Anthology | |
The Best Of Scott Joplin – A Collection of original Ragtime Piano Compositions | The Best Of Scott Joplin | |
The Best Of The Corrs | The Best Of The Corrs | |
The Best Of Wes Montgomery | The Best Of Wes Montgomery | |
The Best Songs Ever 9th Edition Piano Vocal Guitar chords | The Best Songs Ever 9th Edition Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
The Big Book Of French Songs | The Big Book Of French Songs | |
The Big Book Of Jazz (Piano-Vocal-Guitar Sheet Music) 75 of the World’s greatest jazz classics | The Big Book Of Jazz- | |
The Big Book Of Jazz Guitar Improvisation by Mark Dziuba with Tablature | The Big Book Of Jazz Guitar Improvisation sheet music pdf | |
The Big Book Of Motown (Piano-Vocal-Guitar) | Motown | |
The Big Book of Soul – Piano Vocal Guitar | The Big Book of Soul | |
The Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling | ||
The Blues – David Baker Improvisational patterns | ||
The Blues Brothers – Play Guitar with (six of their classic songs) Guitar Tablature | The Blues Brothers – Play Guitar with (six of their classic songs) Guitar Tablature | |
The Blues Brothers (Complete movie soundtrack for piano and guitar with lyrics) ” | The Blues Brothers | |
The Blues Scales Essential Tools For Jazz Improvising (Dan Greenblatt) C Version | ||
The Book | The Book | |
The Book of Life – I Love you too Much (Gustavo Santaolalla) | ||
The Book of Life – The Apology Song (Gustavo Santaolalla) | ||
The Bourne Identity Bourne Supremacy by John Powell Piano Solo arr. | The Bourne Identity-Main Titles | |
The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel) | ||
The Boxtrolls – End Titles (Dario Marianelli) | ||
The Brazil Real Book | The Brazil Real Book | |
The Brecker Brothers – Electric Jazz-Fusion Vol. 83 | The Brecker Brothers – Electric Jazz-Fusion Vol. 83 | |
The Bride’s Wedding Music Collection (with audio MP3) | The Bride’s Wedding Music | |
The Brothers Mcmullen – I Will Remember You – Sarah Mclachlan | ||
The Byrds Guitar Songbook | ||
The Byrds – Turn Turn Turn | ||
The Call (Regina Spektor) | ||
The Calling – Wherever You Will Go | ||
The Cambridge Companion To Arvo Pärt (Andrew Shenton) Book | ||
The Cambridge Companion To Debussy (Cambridge Companions To Music) (Simon Trezise) Book | ||
The Cambridge Companion To The Piano (Rowland, David (Book) | ||
The Cambridge History Of World Music 2013 | ||
The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia (eBook) | ||
The Cardigans – Lovefool | ||
The Cars – Complete Greatest Hit – The Cars sheet music | The Cars – Complete Greatest Hit – The Cars sheet music | |
The Cars – Shake It Up | Cars The Shake It Up | |
The Chairmans Walz from Memoirs of a Geisha | The_Chairmans_Walz_from_Memoirs_of_a_Geisha | |
The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe-Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus | The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus | |
The Chronicles of Narnia – Evacuating London – Harry Gregson-williams | ||
The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Call (Regina Spektor) | ||
The Cider House Rules Main Theme – Zelensky | The Cider House Rules Main Theme – Zelensky | |
The Civil War Songbook – Richard Crawford (1977) | ||
The Clash – The Best of – Full Score | ||
The Clash – Rock The Casbah | ||
The Clash – The Best Of (Guitar with Tablature) | The Clash – The Best Of (Guitar) | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (easy piano) Book 1 | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (piano) Book 1 | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (easy piano) Book 2 | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Bach (piano) Book 2 | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Beethoven (easy piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Beethoven (piano) | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Chopin (easy piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Chopin (piano) | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Ciaokovkski (Tchaikovsky easy piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Tchaikovsky | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Haendel (easy Piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Haendel (Piano) | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il Mio Primo Mozart (easy piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il Mio Primo Mozart | |
The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Schumann (easy piano) | The Classics for Young Pianists – Il mio primo Schumann (piano) | |
The Cloud Atlas Sextet For Orchestra From Cloud Atlas Sheet Music Piano Solo | ||
The Complete Beatles Chronicle (eBook) by Mark Lewisohn Biography | ||
The Complete Book Of Scales & Arpeggios in Tablature for the guitar (Howard Wallach) | ||
The Complete Electronic Player Book 3 by Kenneth Baker | The Complete Electronic Player Book 3 by Kenneth Baker | |
The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Buying A Piano | ||
The Complete Idiots Guide To Playing Piano 2nd Ed. | ||
The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3 audio tracks and Tablature) All Four Volumes | Beginning Jazz Guitar and Vol.2 – Intermediate Jazz Guitar and Mastering II Beginning Jazz Guitar The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3) and Mastering I Beginning Jazz Guitar The Complete Jazz Guitar Method by Jody Fisher (with audio MP3) | |
The Complete Keyboard Player Book 1 by Kenneth Baker | ||
The Complete Keyboard Player Book 2 by Kenneth Baker |