Preludio in do diesis minore
Il preludio in C diesis minore (Прелюдия), Op. 3, No. 2, è una delle più famose composizioni di Sergei Rachmaninoff. È un preludio in forma tripartita (ABA) in C diesis minore, lungo 62 battute e una parte di 5 pezzi è intitolata Morceaux de Fantaisie.[1]
Il brano venne eseguito per la prima volta dall'autore avvenne il 20 settembre 1892[2] ad un festival chiamato Moscow Electrical Exhibition[3], che Rachmaninoff considera il suo debutto come pianista[2]. Dopo questa première, una recensione del concerto singled out the Prelude, noting that it had “aroused enthusiasm”.[4] Da quel momento la sua popolarità crebbe.
Background
This work was one of the first the 19‑year‑old Rachmaninoff composed as a "Free Artist", after he graduated from the Conservatorio di Mosca il 29 maggio 1892. He performed this new work for the first time at one of the concerts of the Moscow Electrical Exhibition on 8/20 October 1892. It was printed the following year as the second of five Morceaux de Fantaisie (Op. 3), all dedicated to Anton Arensky, his armonia teacher at the Conservatory. Because at the time Russia was not party to the 1886 Convenzione di Berna, Russian publishers did not pay royalties, so the only financial return he ever received for this piece was a 40 ruble (about two months' wage of a factory worker) publishing fee.[3]
Composizione
Il preludio è organizzato in tre grandi parti ed una coda:
- Tre accordi che aprono il brano in fortissimo introducono la tonalità del C diesis minore che domina il brano. Il motivo cadenziale si ripete lungo il preludio. Nella terza battuta, il volume cambia in pianissimissimo per l'esposizione del tema.
- La seconda parte è propulsiva e marcata dall'agitato, iniziando con delle triplette altamente cromatiche. This passionately builds to interlocking chordal triplets that descend into a climactic recapitulation of the main theme, this time in four staves to accommodate the volume of notes. Certain chords in the section are marked with quadruple sforzando.
- The piece closes with a brief seven-measure coda which ends quietly.
Reception
The prelude became one of Rachmaninoff's most famous compositions. His cousin Alexander Siloti was instrumental in securing the Prelude's success throughout the Western world. In the autumn of 1898, he made a tour of Europa occidentale and the Stati Uniti, with a program that contained the Prelude. Soon after, Londra publishers brought out several editions with titles such as The Burning of Moscow, The Day of Judgement, andThe Moscow Waltz. America followed suit with other titles, such as The Bells of Moscow.[3] It was so popular that it was referred to as "The Prelude" and audiences would demand it as an encore at his performances, shouting "C sharp!" Some[senza fonte] say Rachmaninoff came to hate the work for this reason. Most, however, agree he would simply shrug in resignation and play it.
Rachmaninoff recorded the piece both electrically and on Ampico piano rolls.
Note
- ^ Spartito. Scaricabile nei collegamenti esterni.
- ^ a b Talk Classical
- ^ a b c Max Harrison, Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings, Londra, Continuum, 2006, pp. 72–73, ISBN 0-8264-9312-2.
- ^ Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, Sophia Satina, Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 2001, ISBN 0253214211.
Collegamenti esterni
- (EN) Spartiti liberi di Preludio in do diesis minore, in International Music Score Library Project, Project Petrucci LLC.
- Spartito scaricabile online