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Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini

1/7/2022, 28 Tracks, 1:08:06

Featuring

  • Irina Georgieva
  • Sascha Goetzel
  • Pablo González
  • Sinfonieorchester Basel
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff

Did you know?

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Composition History

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was composed in the summer of 1934 at his Swiss estate, Senar, which was an acronym of his and his wife Natalia's names.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini features the medieval hymn 'Dies Irae' as a counter-theme to Paganini's original, creating a musical debate between the two.

Source: Booklet

Cultural Impact

Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, featured on this album, gained immense popularity and even charted internationally as 'Rach 3' due to its prominent role in the 1996 film "Shine."

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Irina Georgieva, the pianist on this album, gave her first public concert at age 6 and her first solo concert at age 8, performing Beethoven's 1st Piano Concerto with an orchestra a year later.

Source: Booklet

Composer's Artistic Vision

In his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Rachmaninoff explicitly linked musical variations to the Paganini legend, with some variations representing the 'evil spirit' and others 'love episodes.'

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Sergei Rachmaninoff, the composer, prepared intensely for his US tour, for which he composed his Third Piano Concerto, even practicing the work on a silent keyboard during his voyage to America.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

The first theme of the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto is based on the liturgical Russian chant 'Thy grave, O Savior, soldiers are guarding,' and begins unusually quietly.

Source: Booklet

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Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4
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