Adagio Sustenuto, from Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 Sergei Rachmaninov
Rachmaninov composed his Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 between October and December 1896. The full work consists of six movements and
was inspired by Franz Schubert's piano cycle, Moments Musicaux, a work
that also contains six character pieces. Moments Musicaux was dedicated
to Alexander Viktorovich Zataevich, a folk song collector and composer. Even
though it was written quickly, it is a work of the highest quality.
The Andante Sustenuto is similar in nature to a barcarolle, due to its
rising and falling accompaniment. It is in ABA form with a chordal theme
presented in the first section. This work is an example of Rachmaninoff's
concern with musical ideas as opposed to virtuosic technical displays.
The
Maestoso in C Major is the closing
movement of the cycle and is characteristic of a tradition that prevailed throughout
the late nineteenth century. It is a virtuosic
and brilliant piece, employing the entire range of dynamics and sonorities
available to the piano. Written in the form of an etude, the work includes a
thick chordal melody that is doubled in both hands and appears in counterpoint
against thirty-second-note figures. The coda presents a forte account of
theme that climaxes to a triumphant ending marked ffff. Evgenia Rubinova
Classical Music | Piano Music
Sergei Rachmaninov
Adagio Sustenuto, from Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 Play
Recorded on 01/11/2005, uploaded on 01/21/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Adagio Sustenuto, from Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 Sergei Rachmaninov
Rachmaninov composed his Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 between October and December 1896. The full work consists of six movements and was inspired by Franz Schubert's piano cycle, Moments Musicaux, a work that also contains six character pieces. Moments Musicaux was dedicated to Alexander Viktorovich Zataevich, a folk song collector and composer. Even though it was written quickly, it is a work of the highest quality.
The Andante Sustenuto is similar in nature to a barcarolle, due to its rising and falling accompaniment. It is in ABA form with a chordal theme presented in the first section. This work is an example of Rachmaninoff's concern with musical ideas as opposed to virtuosic technical displays.
The Maestoso in C Major is the closing movement of the cycle and is characteristic of a tradition that prevailed throughout the late nineteenth century. It is a virtuosic and brilliant piece, employing the entire range of dynamics and sonorities available to the piano. Written in the form of an etude, the work includes a thick chordal melody that is doubled in both hands and appears in counterpoint against thirty-second-note figures. The coda presents a forte account of theme that climaxes to a triumphant ending marked ffff. Evgenia Rubinova
More music by Sergei Rachmaninov
Romance, Op. 11 No. 5
Bogoroditse Devo, from The Vespers
Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39, No. 9 in D Major
Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5
Prelude Op. 3, No. 2, in c-sharp minor
Etude-Tableau, Op, 39, No. 1 in c minor
Etude-Tableau in A minor, Op. 39, No. 6
Romance, Op. 34
Prelude Op. 23 No. 4
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op 42
Performances by same musician(s)
Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111
Maestoso, from Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
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