Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22 & Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42

Featuring

Marianna Prjevalskaya
Sergei Rachmaninoff

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Critical Reception

Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22, premiered in 1903, was criticized for its excessive length and has rarely been performed since.

Performer Biography

Marianna Prjevalskaya, the pianist on this album, won her first piano competition at age 14 and has since won top prizes at over 20 competitions.

Composer Biography

Rachmaninoff, a sensitive introvert, often doubted his self-worth as a composer and remained faithful to the 19th-century Romantic tradition in Russia.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded at the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in July 2015.

Compositional Technique

Rachmaninoff's persistent self-doubt led him to add notes in the Corelli Variations and Chopin Variations, allowing interpreters to omit certain variations.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Rachmaninoff expressed an adverse attitude toward modern music, stating he was "organically incapable of understanding modern music, therefore I cannot possibly like it."

Composition History

Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42, composed in 1931, was his first piano work written after leaving Russia in 1917 to live in exile.