Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 & Moments musicaux
9/15/2023, 13 Tracks, 1:13:36
Featuring
Steven Osborne
Sergei Rachmaninoff
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Composition History
Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata No. 1 is rarely performed, partly because the composer himself worried about its length and complexity.
Composer Biography
Rachmaninov left Russia permanently in December 1917 with his family, never to return, following the February and October Revolutions, as he belonged to the landowning class.
Composition History
Rachmaninov composed the Moments musicaux, Op. 16, to restore his finances after a thief stole a substantial sum of money from him during a train journey.
Compositional Technique
Rachmaninov's own piano version of his Nunc dimittis from the All-Night Vigil is a subtle transcription that preserves the original's character without relying on bravura writing.
Composition History
The Piano Sonata No. 1 was premiered by pianist Konstantin Igumnov in 1908, after Rachmaninov had revised and condensed the work based on Igumnov's advice.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninov conceived his Piano Sonata No. 1 with a program in mind, advertising early performances under the title 'Faust' and detailing its movements as portraits of Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles.
Performer Biography
Steven Osborne, the pianist on this recording, is a highly awarded British musician, recognized with the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year and two Gramophone Awards.
