DIVE IN!
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a Russian composer who lived in exile from 1917, much of it in the US. He composed many large scale works including several still wildly popular concertos for piano and orchestra. He wrote Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Switzerland during the summer of 1934. Rachmaninoff premiered it himself at the piano that same November in Baltimore with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. They subsequently recorded it together on December 24. NO HOLIDAY VACATION FOR YOU!!
RESOURCES
A beautiful archival recording of Artur Rubinstein playing the famous 18th variation, with the Chicago Symphony led by Fritz Reiner
A deliciously nerdy deep dive into the American influences in the Rhapsody from ToneBase featuring Jackie Parker and Garrick Ohlsson
Bill Murray's bazillionth "first" piano lesson scene from Groundhog Day
HIGHLIGHTS
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a like a mega meta variation! Rachmaninoff conceptualized this work as a set of 24 variations, on the 24th Caprice by Nicolo Paganini, which is itself a set of variations on a theme. So. Much. Variation.
The Rhapsody is also a concerto for piano and orchestra. Even though it is played in one continuous 23ish minute piece, it is structured in three sections like a traditional concerto would be: fast (variations 1-10), slow (variations 11-18), and fast again (variations 19-24).
The 18th variation is hyper romantic and so popular that it has been extracted for use in pop songs, movies, TV shows and other applications. Two famous examples of this are the 1980 film "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, and the 1993 instant classic "Groundhog Day" featuring Bill Murray learning to play piano on the same day over and over and over again until he has mastered the Paganini/Rachmaninoff theme enough to impress Andie MacDowell in a dance club with a whole band backing him up.
Rachmaninoff joked that the 18th variation was for his publisher, since he knew it would be popular. He also nicknamed the 24th variation the "creme de menthe" variation after he adopted a practice of drinking a glass prior to each performance as a way to steady his nerves for it.
It is not possible to consider this piece being written in any other time than the era of Modernism in the height of the Jazz age. The rhythms, the urgency, and the recurring use of the Dies Irae theme suggest Rachmaninoff was very comfortable incorporating elements of innovation in this new age alongside the anxieties produced by the very same human culture. Â
Nerd Assignments
Start with a Conversation:
A concerto is a type of musical form that creates dialogue and drama between a single instrument or small group of instruments, and a much larger group of instruments. What exactly is dialogue? How is dialogue made? Think about constructing a brief dialogue between two people. What can you do to alter this dialogue so that one participant becomes a whole group of people? What are some examples of this type of dialogue you can think of in your every day life? [call and response in pep rallies, a religious service, etc.] Â
Add the Variation element:
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a concerto, and also a set of variations. Building on your conversation exploration above, try making a variation on the "Telephone" game. Instead of passing a whispered phrase from ear to ear, go ahead and speak a phrase aloud but make small variations of the phrase from person to person. Try to keep enough elements of the original phrase intact while varying it in ever more interesting or extreme ways. Make it fun! Say it out or order or backwards or filled with synonyms/antonyms. Pronounce it with different emphasis. Add interpretive dance! Does the original phrase remind you of something else? Find a way to thread it into the original phrase. Rachmaninoff heard the Paganini theme and recognized how it could lend itself to include the Catholic liturgical "Dies Irae" plainchant tune.
Try an Activity!
Go ahead and dive down that internet rabbit hole! Listen to at least three different recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for comparison and contrast. How do you find the interpretation of different soloists and orchestras affect the overall piece of music? What specific things do you notice? Do you have any favorite interpretations or moments? What draws you toward some and/or turns you away from others?
Listening for dialogue and interpretation
Listen to the performance live and again via recording if possible. Try to listen carefully for musical dialogue and dramatic interpretive elements in this composition. How did the conversation and comparison/contrast activities help you to better engage as a listener?
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