Variations on a Theme by Chopin, op.22
The Variations on a Theme by Chopin, op. 22 are a piano work by Sergei Rachmaninov composed between 1902 and 1903 , which is linked to the 10 Preludes that followed shortly thereafter thanks to its characteristic tonal language and pianistic refinements .
The theme of the variations is Frédéric Chopin's C minor Prelude from the op Collection. 28 , the Ferruccio Busoni had in 1885 already elected for a shorter series of variations, its key C minor Rachmaninov took over for his cycle, whereby the work in Tongeschlecht of all his significant Compositions stands.
Rachmaninoff grouped the 22 pieces in a kind of three-movement sonata in which the variations 11 to 18 form the slow middle section and are introduced by a Lento .
The cycle, which he dedicated to the pianist and composer Theodor Leschetizky , was created after the three-month honeymoon that Rachmaninoff and his wife had spent in Vienna and Bayreuth , among other places .
content
Chopin's Prelude is a gloomy largo consisting of only 13 bars , which with its distinctive rhythm is reminiscent of a funeral march . After the powerful beginning with the full chords, a painful swan song follows over an initially chromatically sinking bass. Rachmaninoff shortens the original by omitting the wistful pianissimo repetition, so that only nine bars of the original remain.
The pieces that follow, attacca merging into one another, have the character of etudes , in that they each deal with a specific technical problem in a demanding manner.
The first ten variations can be divided into two sections, which are separated by a slow piece. After the furious conclusion of the tenth variation, the middle section, consisting mainly of slow pieces, begins, which surprises with the twelfth variation, a four-part fugue , as well as with the ghostly sounding treble decorations over the low chords of the 13th variation.
The second subsection of the middle section begins with the fifteenth variation and is in the subdominant of the theme with F minor . The 16th variation, accompanied by a sweeping figure on the left, forms the lyrical peak of the cycle with its elegiac melody. The solemn mood of this short calm pole is suddenly interrupted by the heavy death knell sounds of the following variations, which are so typical for Rachmaninov's personal style.
Four extended variations form the finale of the cycle, which begins with the 19th piece and, with its full-fingered chords in the distant key of A major and the rhythmic energy, is reminiscent of a festival bell. After a pianistic pause is inserted with the penultimate variation in D flat major and the tempo and dynamics are reduced, the work closes with a virtuoso finale in C major , which initially dresses in the guise of a polonaise and ends with a roaring Presto stretta .
details
Compared to his later Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Op. 42 , the work is conceived more virtuoso and adorns the chorale-like theme with broad melodies rather than varying its character. The rhythmic component is less pronounced and the dramatic arc of tension of the work (with a playing time of almost 30 minutes) is not so convincing because of the detailed lengths and melodies.
The cycle has been interpreted by numerous pianists. Recordings by the Russian virtuosos Swjatoslaw Richter , Wladimir Aschkenasi and Nikolai Lugansky are available.
Web links
- Variations on a Theme by Chopin, Op. 22 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rachmaninov, Sergei Vasilevic . In: Composers' Lexicon . Metzler, Stuttgart 2003, p. 481
- ↑ The presentation is in places based on: Sergei Rachmaninow, Variations on a Theme by Chopin, op.22 . In: Harenberg piano music guide, 600 works from the baroque to the present . Meyers, Mannheim 2004, p. 658
- ^ Ewald Reder: Sergej Rachmaninow. Life and Work (1873–1943) . 3. Edition. Triga, Gründau-Rothenbergen 2007, p. 455