Rachmaninoff – Ten Preludes Op. 23 for Piano.

Description

Ten Preludes, Op. 23, is a set of ten preludes for solo piano, composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1901 and 1903. This set includes the famous Prelude in G minor.

 Together with the Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3/2 and the 13 Preludes, Op. 32, this set is part of a full suite of 24 preludes in all the major and minor keys.

Rachmaninoff’s Ten Preludes abandon the traditional short prelude form delineated by composers such as Bach, Scriabin, and Chopin. Unlike Chopin’s small, half-page musical fragments, Rachmaninoff’s Ten Preludes last for several minutes each, expanding into complex polyphonic forms with musically independent sections. The pieces perhaps represent a culmination of the Romantic idiom.

Contents:

1. No. 1 in F-sharp minor (Largo)
2.  No. 2 in B-flat major (Maestoso)
3.  No. 3 in D minor (Tempo di minuetto)
4.  No. 4 in D major (Andante cantabile)
5.  No. 5 in G minor (Alla marcia)
6.  No. 6 in E-flat major (Andante)
7.  No. 7 in C minor (Allegro)
8.  No. 8 in A-flat major (Allegro vivace)
9.  No. 9 in E-flat minor (Presto)
10.  No. 10 in G-flat major (Largo)