Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerti

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Rachmaninoff's piano concerti. It explains how Rachmaninoff is one of the world's best-known composers and wrote numerous pieces for concert and stage. Some of the most famous are the four piano concerti, which all highlight his talent and his high opinion of the piano as a concert instrument.

From the Paper:

"Third in these four works is the Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, which was written in 1909, and written specifically for Rachmaninoff's first concert tour in the United States. Many people believe this is "probably the composer's best unified longer work" ("Webring"), but it did not receive good notices from the critics when it was first performed ("Piece Details"). Another critic notes this piece "rises to another of those pinnacles which form the landmarks in his career...Conscientious historians may one day consider this concerto as the beginning of a 'third period' of the composer's life" (Veinus 350). This piece shows a true unity some of his other pieces lack, and indicates how Rachmaninoff grew as a composer as his career continued. The opening of the piece is quiet and hushed, and seems far different from the more strident first two concertos. While this piece starts simply enough, it grows to emphatically highlight the piano, and so calls for great talent from the pianist. The last movement is a virtuoso section that is quite alluring and entertaining, which rises to a soaring and elegant coda. There is also a memorable fanfare in the piece that could be a strong composition on its own. It is a very long piece, nearly 40 minutes, and consists of three distinct movements. It is still performed enthusiastically today by orchestras around the country."

More papers on Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerti:

• Book Review # 36779 : "Player Piano"
• Research Paper # 49502 : "The History of the Piano"
• Term Paper # 120141 : "The Evolution of Jazz Piano"

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