S e r g e i R A C H M A N I N O V

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P R E L U D E S O p u s 2 3 N º 1 0 G b m a j o r

T he composition of 24 preludes

covering all the major and minor

keys is a huge challenge and

Rachmaninov’s contribution was spread

over 20 years. As an active and successful

stage artist at the piano and on the

podium, time for composing was no doubt

limited, unlike Debussy who completed his

24 Preludes in less than 6 months.

The ten works which comprise opus 23

were created over two years in the early

1900s whilst staying at the Hotel America

in Moscow. Dedicated to his mentor and

colleague Alexander Siloti, Rachmaninov

believed that these works were far superior

to his youthful first prelude, but audiences

always clamoured for the “Bells of

Moscow”, much to his intense irritation.

i a n o P r a c t i c a l E d i t i o n s

Musical Health Warning : please be aware that these editions are definitely not urtext and should be consulted together with a traditional version. They have been devised purely to help

solve musical and technical problems at the piano.

Please send comments and error reports to Ray Alston contact@pianopracticaleditions.com

S e r g e i R A C H M A N I N O V 1 8 7 3 - 1 9 4 3

P R E L U D E S O p u s 2 3 N º 1 0 G b m a j o r

S i l o t i & R a c h m a n i n o v

With a palette reminiscent of Tchaikovsky,

Rachmaninov closes the opus 23 preludes

with a lyrical nocturne. Moving between

solo, duet and trio, we encounter Bach-like

problems of counterpoint whilst projecting

long and delicate melodies, a challenge

which should not be underestimated. At

44-53 the final reflective utterance over

the tonic pedal point is divinely inspired.

This final prelude, sharing the same tonic

as the first, is relatively brief, its brevity

underlining a statement made by the

composer some thirty years later, in

December 1941, when he gave a pertinent

interview to a music magazine named The

Etude: “When composing, I find it of great

help to have in mind a book just recently

read, or a beautiful picture, or a poem.

Sometimes a definite story is kept in mind,

which I try to convert into sound without

disclosing the source of my inspiration. I

find that musical ideas come to me more

easily when I have a definite non-musical

subject to describe. This is particularly true

in writing a shorter piece for the piano. A

small piece can become as lasting a

masterpiece as a large work. The artist

learns, after long experience, that it is

more difficult to be simple than to be

complicated.”

Given that the composer was born in 1873,

an age of great artistic individuality, it is

not surprising that he typically performed

without wholly respecting the score. His

choice of tempi is quite idiosyncratic and

at 40 and 58 this edition includes some of

the more effective deviations. Phrasing,

dynamics and agogic markings have been

sometimes modified; a zealous student will

need to consult the original Russian

publication by Gutheil or Robert Threlfall’s

Boosey & Hawkes 1992 edition.

metronome bracketed tempo from the

original edition

12 & 16 editorial acciaccatura

27-28 modification of time signature

39-41 modification of time signature

40 logical repetition of B flat according to the composer’s recording

44 editorial bass octave addition with sostenuto pedal

58 dynamic according to the composer’s recording

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R A C H M A N I N O V

P R E L U D E S

Opus 23 Nº 10 G f lat major

p u b l i s h e d O c t o b e r 2 0 2 0

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