Rachmaninoff's 'C#-Minor Prelude' became his most famous solo piano work and his calling card, which he first performed in 1892 at his public debut as a pianist.
Compositional Technique
The theme Rachmaninoff used for his 'Variations on a Theme of Corelli,' 'La Folia,' is not by Corelli but a traditional Portuguese dance melody used by many composers, including Liszt and Kreisler.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff's 'Variations on a Theme of Corelli' was his last major composition for solo piano and the only one he produced after leaving Russia.
Album & Artwork
The album's title, "The Return," reflects the theme of home and distant homelands in the music of both Rachmaninoff and Babajanian.
Composer Biography
Arno Babajanian, an Armenian composer, based in Moscow for much of his life, infused his piano music with folk idioms of his native Armenia and the virtuosic pianism of the Russian school.
Performer Biography
Raffi Besalyan, an Armenian pianist based in the United States, brings together the music of Rachmaninoff and Babajanian in this program.
Composer Biography
Sergei Rachmaninoff's 'B-Minor Prelude' was inspired by "The Return," a painting by Arnold Böcklin, and served as a reminder of his Russian years during his exile.
You might also enjoy...
Rachmaninoff: Piano Works
Piano Recital: Moser, Benjamin - Rachmaninov, S. / Scriabin, A. / Medtner, N. / Tchaikovsky, P.I. / Prokofiev, S. (Russian Piano Music)
