Right at the beginning, we open with the tolling of the bells, and in the second measure at 0:12 the English horn (cor anglais/corno inglesse) comes in with the first main theme. I would like you to focus on the English horn and its theme as it recurs throughout the movement. The instrument and the theme symbolize death in this piece.
At 2:17 on page 118 the English horn comes in with its theme again after the soloist and choir enters. at 3:54 page 122, same idea.
At 5:33 on page 125, the English horn comes in with a variation on the theme motif. I won't profess to know what the composer had in mind, but the idea is that "death" keeps looming over us. At 6:20 page 127 a French Horn solo takes the theme and if listen you can hear the Dies Irae (basically a general death motif that composers like to use) in pizzicato celli. in the last measure of page 133 at 7:22 the trumpets play the first four notes of the dies irae as well, if you want to count this instance. This section is the last time the English Horn appears.
Now in the past, from Baroque times up to as late as Chopin, composers liked to end their minor-key pieces with the major tonic chord. (minor is "sad" sounding and major is "happy") Later on, composers kept the practice by ending minor-key symphonies or pieces or what have you with a major-key conclusion. (In fact in romantic-era symphonies and concertos, ending in minor is considered a novelty. an exception for example where a minor piece ends majestically in minor is Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet).
At 9:10 on page 138, we modulate from C# minor to the relative Db major, changing the mood of the piece.
Now at 9:39, in the first measure of the last page, we have a very magical moment. The melody played by the strings and flutes is in fact the original English Horn death theme, in major. The piece ends at peace, in acceptance of death and fate.
well Rachmaninoff could hardly be called a bastion of avant garde in classical...
secondly, Chopin can hardly be called "late". im sure you can find the late romantic styles of bruckner, mahler, r. strauss, sibelius, to have similar properties, and the last i can think of in a special case shostakovich's symphony no 8, a depressing and dark piece that goes into an enigmatic c major finale
And yet they go pretty unnoticed. :p Only three people replied after all. btw, the part where the whole choir cries out in 3:10 through 3:45 gives me chills whenever I hear it...
The opus 29 ("Isle of the Dead") has a similarly eerie atmosphere, albeit less mournful and more otherworldly.
an interesting bit, since the person who made the video (for the linked isle of the dead) chose a color painting: that painting was very popular in rachmaninov's day and copies were mass produced and hung in households, etc. rachmaninov was inspired by a black and white version and when he saw a colored version he did not find it to his liking.
coincidentally, I have also been listening to isle of the dead on repeat in the same playlist... :D been in a real sullen mood lately.
Yeah, I remember hearing about that. I believe he said that he probably would have never written the piece if he had seen one of the colored versions. Personally, I like the one depicted in that video the best. The contrast of the brighter, peaceful environment and the darkness of the isle gives it an eerie mysteriousness, like venturing into dark unknown territory (death) but at the same time feeling a sense of tranquility about it.
I am happy that you came up with this post. I am a bit into music but for some strange reason, Rachmaninoff's music is still out of my "understanding". I listened to his piano concertos no2,3 but they didn't impress me overall very much. Maybe it's time to try to get to know (sorry for too many "to") this composer again. As soon as I have my headphones, I will listen to the whole piece. I hope I am going to be enlightened.
I really need to get to know non-piano Rachmaninoff better. I love his solo piano stuff, and his 3rd concerto has to be one of my favorite pieces of all time, especially as performed by Argerich. Having read through the solo piano part for the 3rd concerto at like 0.05x speed, it is astonishing how intricate, immense, and beautiful his writing is. He was really a genius.
I went to see the Nutcracker today, and on the way back the finale of Swan Lake was stuck in my head and I realized I made a mistake in my post. It is Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet which ends in minor, not Swan Lake, which ends most beautifully and verily in major.
@lixlix try listening to Anna Moffo's recording. she does the final ascending line into the high note without taking a breath (all other singers take a breath), it is astounding.
@Amanebak I like the Mikhail Rudy with Mariss Jansons recordings.
@matjlav the main cadenza in the 3rd concerto has two versions! which version did you like? the more difficult version is commonly played, but the easier one is very fluid and beautiful too.
Glad to see a few people interested in Rachmaninov and his music!
EPT
