Rachmaninoff, Etudes-Tableaux, op.33 & op. 39
The complete set
"Rachmaninoff was full of a burning inner passion, he was a very earthy man. And his music called for more humanism, for purity of thought, all things that can be found in every soul. It knocked on the door of simple hearts that had not yet had time to wither, and they answered it". Bajanov
In 1911, a year after the composition of the Preludes, Op. 32, Sergei Rachmaninoff inaugurated a first series of piano pieces entitled Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33. In 1917, he composed Op. 39, a work from the end of his Russian period. 1917: a pivotal year, with the February Revolution, he felt that his place was no longer in Russia. On 23 December 1917, he and his family left Russia forever.
The Etudes-tableaux are elegantly concise pieces with a lyricism in the form of sketches that are likely to create concrete images and strongly felt moods in the listener. At once dark, aggressive or overwhelming music, unheard-of harmonies are heard.
"I am a Russian composer, my homeland has left its mark on my personality, this is Russian music". Rachmaninoff
