Sergey Rachmaninoff is still one of the most well known Russian composers. He was born in 1873 in Oneg, Russia, and died in 1943, Los Angeles. He was also a virtuoso pianist and a conductor, who’s ouvre includes piano pieces, four piano concertos, four sypmhonies, chamber music, and many other genres. In his compositions he continued the tradition of Tchaikovsky’s style which was influenced by Western music, and by the virtuosity of Franz Liszt. Before becoming a musician, he was expected to complete a military school and continue the family tradition, but he enrolled the Moscow Conservatory in 1885. Later in life, he faced challenges which affected his creative spirit, such as long episodes of depression, and the homesickness after his exile from Russia to Switzerland and later, to the USA after the October Revolution in 1917. Many of his compositions reflect these inner struggles, and the longing for his homeland, illustrated by the use of Orthodox Christian chants, the sound of bells, and rhythms inspired by Russian folk music.
For this post, I decided to write about an underrated gem: Trio Élégiaque no. 2 op. 9 in d minor for violin, cello, and piano. The reason why I chose this piece is that, in my opinion, that most composers have one tonality which is particularly close to them. In the case of Rachmaninoff, this tonality is d minor. Many of his important works are written in d minor, such as his Symphony no. 1, his first piano sonata, the Piano concerto no. 3, or the Variations on a theme by Corelli. Additionally, the first movement of this trio is the most mature one, predicting the tone of Rachmaninoff’s later works with its exquisite harmonic language and extremly wide range of emotions.
The trio was dedicated to the memory of Tchaikovsky, who died unexpectedly in 1893. When composing this trio, Rachmaninoff was only 18 years old, still studying at the Moscow Conservatory. This piece was preceded by the Trio Élégiaque no. 1 in g minor (1892). He could have taken inspiration from Tchaikovsky’s Trio op. 50 in a minor, written for the memory of Nikolai Rubinstein (In the memory of a great artist). It was premiered in 1894.
The piece consists of three movements:
I. Moderato
II. Quasi Variazione
III. Allegro Risoluto
I think the earliest, most authentic recording of the Trio was made by the Oistrach Trio in 1958, Moscow. The trio performed on concerts from 1940 to 1963, being one of the most excellent chamber music ensambles of their time. The members were the violinist David Feodorovich Oistrach (1908-1974), cellist Sergey Knushewitsky (1908-1963), and pianist Lev Oborin (1907-1974).
Noémi Baki-Szmaler, guest editor - @une-barque-sur-l-ocean
