Sergei Rachmaninoff: Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
Symbolist paintings by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) became extremely popular, and travelling exhibitions of his paintings (and also exhibitions showcasing copies of his paintings) generated enormous interest from Dresden (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary). When some of Böcklin’s works were exhibited in Budapest in 1895, critic József Jartin for the Hungarian daily Fővárosi Lapok described the painter’s artistic world as follows: As Böcklin is unfamiliar with the effects of light, he does not use shadows; his figures move in plein air but they do so in a plein air that has a fairy-tale-like, mystical feel to it. And this is exactly what evokes the special mood in the audience (…) we call the Böcklin atmosphere.” One of Böcklin’s best-known and perhaps most characteristic paintings is the Isle of the Dead. Produced in several versions, this artwork – thanks to its unique atmosphere – has inspired numerous musical compositions. Rachmaninoff was influenced by a black-and-white reproduction of the Isle of the Dead, which he saw in Paris. The first version of his musical piece was completed in early 1909, and was premiered in Moscow with the composer conducting the orchestra himself. Interestingly, when Rachmaninoff saw the original painting, he was disappointed and said: “If I had seen the original first, I might never have written the Isle of the Dead. Even today I still prefer the black-and-white version.”
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18
Premiered in 1901, Rachmaninoff’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2 is one of the Russian composer’s most popular works. The “work is very interesting, (…) some of its rich melodies are reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s elemental musical themes,” one contemporary review writes. Rachmaninoff composed his ‘Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Sharp Minor’ at the age of 17, but the sequel took him a decade to compose. ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’ was presented to the public in its complete form on 27th October 1901. The work was a huge success and not only in Russia. In fact, the composition has since remained Rachmaninoff’s most popular piece worldwide. The famous, bell-like opening of the 1st movement and the main theme that follows, reminiscent of Russian folk songs, have become the composer’s musical trademark.
Antonin Dvořák: Symphony No 7 in D Minor, Op. 70
‘Symphony No. 7’ was composed in 1885 and the piece premiered in London in the same year. Dvořák’s ambition to be a symphony composer was fuelled by several factors during this period. After the premiere of Brahms’s ‘Symphony No. 3’, Dvořák turned to the genre of the symphony with renewed interest as he wanted to compose a piece that was to express the political struggles of the Czech people. But perhaps the most important factor was that, thanks to his highly successful concert tour in England in 1884, he received a commission for a new work. The opening movement of the symphony features a large-scale sonata format. And the composition’s sombre tone of D minor is highlighted by the orchestration: the first theme is played by cellos and violas over the sustained notes of double basses and timpani, and this is followed by the entire orchestra taking over and carrying the theme forward. After the development and then the recapitulation sections, the movement – before it ends – features, as a reference, the famous opening chord of Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’ known as the famous Tristan chord: the music plays in a different key but in the original orchestration.
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Rachmaninov és Dvořák
NOV 18. 7:30 PM
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