Scherzo in D minor (Rachmaninoff)
Scherzo in D minor is Sergei Rachmaninoff's earliest surviving composition for orchestra, composed when he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory.[1] It is quite short, taking between four and five minutes to play.
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This section uses citations that link to broken or outdated sources. (April 2013) |
The manuscript is dated 5-21 February 1888, when Rachmaninoff was still only 14. An unknown hand has changed this date to 1887.[2] It is dedicated to his cousin Alexander Siloti, and it was intended to be part of a larger work because it is headed "Third movement".
The model for the work is the Scherzo from Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[3] Rachmaninoff had earlier transcribed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony for two pianos, and the Scherzo also has echoes of that work.[4]
The piece is scored for 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets (B♭), 2 Bassoons, Horn (F), Trumpet (B♭), 2 Timpani, Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos and Double Basses.
The first performance of both the Scherzo and another early work, Prince Rostislav,[5] took place in Moscow on 2 November 1945, conducted by Nikolai Anosoff. The Scherzo was published in 1947.
References [edit]
- ^ CD Baby
- ^ bnet
- ^ Harrison, Max (2006). Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings. London: Continuum. p. 19. ISBN 0-8264-9312-2.
- ^ Talk Classical
- ^ Chandos CD notes
External links [edit]
- (Russian) Piano.ru - Sheet music download
- (Russian) Chubrik.ru - Audio download
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