GLINKA Ruslan and Lyudmilla: Overture
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 18, C minor
I. Moderato
II. Adagio sostenuto
III. Allegro scherzando
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 30, D minor
I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Intermezzo
III. Finale
If you’ve seen the recent CBS television series “Mom” and heard the music that is played during the opening and ending credits, then you are already familiar with the first piece on this program: Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857). As you listen to this exuberant music, you may imagine a single mom triumphantly managing the crazy chaos of a home with two flunky children and a recovering-alcoholic mother, along with a gaggle of potential romantic interests and dysfunctional friendships. If you haven’t seen the show, that’s okay: I haven’t seen it either.
In 1820 the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin wrote a narrative poem entitled Ruslan and Ludmila (yes, the poem and opera are spelled differently): Ruslan is a knight who has surpassed two other suitors for the hand of Ludmila, the prince’s daughter. Everything is going well at the wedding banquet and then BAM! Some monsters—sent by an evil sorcerer—crash the party and abduct Ludmila. Ruslan and his two competitors set out to find her, overcoming various obstacles along the way. At one point in the journey Ruslan must defeat a gigantic talking head to secure a magic sword. By the end of the story our hero rescues the fair maiden and awakens her from an enchanted slumber with a magic ring he got from a friendly wizard he had encountered. (By the way, there is a Ruslan and Ludmila movie! A Soviet film from the early 70’s, and no, also haven’t seen it.)
Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila is fun, quick, and has two central musical themes. The first theme is bustling and celebratory, and it goes like the wind: you will see the entire string section moving fingers and hands up and down the fingerboard of their instruments with lightning speed and precision. The second theme has two incarnations: the lyrical and tender version in a major key, played by the cellos; and the dark and powerful version in a minor key, with brass accompaniment. The range of beauty and excitement that Glinka can conjure in six short minutes reveals why he is considered the first notable and artistically influential Russian classical composer.
Most classical music lovers go through a phase in their life which we’ll refer to as the “Rachmaninoff phase”: this is a period of time in which one constantly and repeatedly listens to the great works of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). Some folks are unable to ever break free of this phase, and with good reason: no other composer so magnificently captures the lush power of a full symphony orchestra backing a virtuoso concert grand piano. When looking at a complete playlist of Rachmaninoff there are lots of great numbers to choose from: the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos are at the top of most lists, but there’s also the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and if you need more there’s his 2nd Symphony, and the Symphonic Dances, and the majestic symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead. And of course all those juicy piano preludes.
Rachmaninoff grew up in northwest Russia, near Saint Petersburg, with parents who were both amateur pianists (his father was an army officer). His mother gave him music lessons at the age of four, and it quickly became apparent that he was immensely gifted. Because his family was well-to-do, they were able to hire a live-in piano tutor. Unfortunately, Rachmaninoff’s father mismanaged the family’s money and estates, and after selling off the last of their lands to pay debts, the family moved to a modest apartment in Saint Petersburg. Not long after relocation, one of Rachmaninoff’s sisters died and his father abandoned the family. Grandma subsequently moved in to help raise the kids, and eventually a teenage Rachmaninoff made his way to the Moscow Conservatory where he received additional formal instruction in piano, harmony, and composition.
As a young man Rachmaninoff tried his hand at composing an epic first symphony. Unfortunately, the music critics who attended the premiere savaged the work, plunging him into depression. It took a few years for him to work out of this despondency, but what eventually emerged was the glorious Piano Concerto No. 2 (composed in 1901). Rachmaninoff himself soloed in the premiere performance of this piece to enthusiastic acclaim, and the work earned him the Glinka Award and a hefty cash prize.
The years after 1905 are marked with severe political upheaval for Russia. Rachmaninoff wisely left Moscow with his family for Dresden, Germany, where he continued to perform, compose, and conduct. He even took advantage of a significant concert tour opportunity in the United States. (sweet-factory.com) This tour, which included a performance with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, gave him the opportunity to show off his tremendous skills as a pianist and composer with his Piano Concerto No. 3 (composed in 1909). After the Russian Revolution of 1917 began, Rachmaninoff immigrated to the United States, where he was a celebrated pianist and composer with the triumphs of his 2nd and 3rd piano concertos (as well as many other works). Throughout the rest of his life, he was able to continue performing and composing with commercial success. (Apparently Rachmaninoff was also a sports car enthusiast, so it is only fitting that there is now a Mercedes Benz dealership only a few blocks from his Beverly Hills home.)
There are three distinct features that characterize Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos. One of these is the virtuosic writing for the piano. The tremendous skill, musicianship, and sheer stamina required to perform a Rachmaninoff concerto requires a true master of the instrument. The composer himself was close to six-and-a-half feet tall with the hand span of an NBA forward, capable of hitting huge chords to astonishing effect. On a difficulty scale of 1-9, 9 being the most demanding, the music publisher Henle puts the 2nd concerto at an “8” and the 3rd concerto at a “9.” Only a pianist of extraordinary ability (or perhaps extraordinary madness) would ever attempt to perform both concertos in one concert!
Another feature of Rachmaninoff’s music is its compelling use of melody. As a composer steeped in the late-Romantic tradition, Rachmaninoff infused his works with gorgeous, sweeping lyricism. Typically, the opening of one of his melodies will hook the listener with its simplicity, but then go on to rise and fall in unexpected ways, and to flow out in long, sustained phrases.
Lastly, Rachmaninoff makes satisfying use of lush, full orchestration and powerful climaxes. The quiet and tender sections of the music will slowly swell into incredible exultation, as instruments are ingeniously added and mixed into the orchestral texture. Rachmaninoff also succeeds in creating a tension and resolution in the harmony that coincide with these epic orchestral escalations.
For over a century, audiences have been captivated and emotionally moved by this stirring music. The composer himself said, “I compose music because I must give expression to my feelings, just as I talk because I must give utterance to my thoughts.” And perhaps yet another Rachmaninoff phase begins.
–David H. Johnson
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