So I have picked Van Cliburn's recording of this piece. The video's in black and white but you're talking about one of the greatest pianists in the 20th century. When listening to this piece, look for the wide rang of dynamics, beautiful melody, rubato, phrasing.
Rachmaninoff wrote this concerto coming off of a severe depression so you can imagine how much passion he put into this piece. The piece opens up with a series of large chords which I interpret as the gong of a bell. These chords alternate with the pedal point at the note of low F, growing louder and stronger, and after 5 powerful chords, he enters the main theme, with strings providing the melody and piano the accompaniment. Notice how the piano, in all of those arpeggios brings out the bass note. This goes on until about 2:05, when the strings back off from the melody and the piano enters with the melody for the first time. After a brilliant display of technique and several chords, we enter into an interlude, which is the transition into the next theme.
This next theme at 2:45 is simply just gorgeous. The phrasing, the rubato, the shapes of the phrases are just absolutely exquisite. After playing this passage two times, notice how the piano trades off with a beautiful cello solo. At 3:55, we hit a variation of this melody and we continue in beauty, with the piano working in sync with the winds and strings.
This section ends when the piano makes a long run to the top. This marks the start of the deeper, darker aspects of the piece. In this section of the piece, the instruments are doing all sorts of things. The piano stages duplets against triplets, flutes with trills. At 6:00, behind the piano, the strings are trading off with the oboe in melody. It seems as if the the entire orchestra is swirling with emotion and chaos. As the section pushes forward, with trumpets blaring, strings increasing in volume, piano pounding out chords, the piece enters the climax. At 7:17, we begin the Alla Marcia. The piano, with its chords, plays with a march like theme, while the strings are playing the melody that appeared at the beginning of the piece.
After the march, the piano is alone, but this time, he is both what the piano and orchestra were at the beginning. The piano continues the melody but also provides the inner voices. Notice the incredible top voicing, shaping, and rubato. With the rest of the orchestra always beneath the piano, the phrase ends.
I still haven't forgiven the French Horn player who bombed the solo at this next part when I played this piece.
During this next section, the piano trades off the melody with the strings, with the piano filling in with inner voices.
The piano and strings continue to work in sync and then we arrive at the closing section at :55. After a passage of fluttering notes and long arpeggios that grow in speed, a chord progression that reaches the top, the piece ends with three chords: tonic, supertonic, tonic.
1:58 is the start of the second movement. After a slow C Minor scale which modulates to E Major, the piano begins a gorgeous solo with a gorgeous broken chordal progressions. Ewww, I don't really like how Cliburn pounds out the melody. Ewww....... Anyways, what's important is that he's feeling. Anyways, back to the music. The flute then introduces the main theme, followed by an extensive clarinet solo, with the piano providing broken chordal accompaniment. The flute ends the theme and now the piano takes up the theme.
After a while, the orchestra, along with the piano begins to build and build starting at around the 6:00 mark. The movement pushes forth, as some of the instruments play a part of the motif, such as the horn and clarinet. It continues to accelerate and then we hit the climax at around the 9:05 mark, where the focus is primarily on the piano. At around 9:55, the pianist has a small cadenza, which accelerates to the top, capitalized by alternating chords at the top.
After a run going down with the right hand in the piano, we ease back into the main motive. However, the violins are providing the melody this time. It becomes a bit more dramatic this time around (obviously because we are nearing the end) starting at 2:45, with the piano providing big chords (E major) as the harmony.
The orchestra begins to die away, and the piece ends with the piano alone, building suspensions and chords in the key of E major.
The third movement begins at 4:22, with an orchestral intro in the key of E major, which quickly then modulates to C minor. Hurray! The percussion can now wake up! After some awesome crash cymbals, the piano comes in with a long run up and down the keyboard. How does one describe this first part? Strong? Fast? Dramatic? Powerful? How about all of the above?
At 6:30, the piece changes gears. The violas and oboes introduce a new, rich, beautiful that is similar to that in the 1st movement's second theme, which is then repeated by the piano. The phrasings that go up and down are just simply full of spirit. After it dies, all of a sudden, we are all powerful and dramatic again. This next part really feels like it's full of tension. It really in a way feels sort of chaotic. All of this is building up to a repeat of the second theme.
At about 1:00, the piano comes in full force with the second theme, which is then quickly followed by the orchestra in full force. After the orchestra dies, the piano restates the second theme alone again, and is then joined by the orchestra, and together, they make this theme truly epic, glorious, beautiful.
The theme dies down, and after an orchestral interlude we are all dramatic again. Hey! Let's be happy! The piece modulates to the key of C major and after a build up with the piano and orchestra, we are once again in the first theme but in major.
Very quickly, however, both the piano and full orchestra revert back to the 2nd theme. If you thought this sounded good in minor, it is awesome in major. Absolutely the climax and pinnacle of this movement and this whole piece. It seems as if the entire piece has been building up for this moment. For the Honor and Glory! Don't you wish that this moment could just last forever? However, all things must come to an end and the piece ends in his trademark rhythm at the end.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love this piece.
Now go eat some rice.
Ray
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