158 Germany even before the time of Bach and up to the time of Beethoven and Weber. It seems that the composer most associated with the Polonaise is Chopin, who does wonders using rhythmic patterns reminiscent of a repetitive drum beat. Chopin composed 16 solo piano Polonaises during his lifetime. Some believe that this form (the Polonaise) allowed him to express his strong national feelings during his exile in Paris. He composed the Polonaise in F minor op. 44 in 1841. Chopin himself referred to the work as a “fantasy in the form of a Polonaise” meaning a Polonaise with a freer structure. This is a work of a tragic and dark nature and it also contains a subtle Mazurka that stands in complete contrast to the stormy and dramatic nature of most of the work. Chopin dedicated the Polonaise to Princess Ludmilla de Beauveau, who was a prominent member of the Polish immigrant community in Paris. A short and menacing opening precedes the bold and furious theme accompanied by the rhythmic pattern of the Polonaise together with dramatic and stormy chords and growling trills (ornaments). Later Chopin softens the gloomy theme to a more melodic nature as if trying to calm his anger until the passion and fury return. A transition section with a clear repetitive rhythmic pattern is followed by a delicate mazurka, full of romance and emotion that is in complete contrast to the general nature of the piece. But soon the music returns slowly towards the same ominous harmonies, until the repeat of the first, tragic part of the Polonaise. The music slowly fades and loses its power but Chopin returns with one last thunderous gesture with a chord of octaves that ends the piece. Chopin, who is known as romantic and melodic and full of expression, reveals another side of himself, with intellectual music that explores the darkest points of despair and heartbreak leaving the listener with these difficult feelings. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) - Lilacs, op. 21 No. 5 - Prelude op. 32 No. 8 in A minor - Prelude op. 23 No. 10 in G flat Major - 5 Etudes-Tableaux op. 39 Nos. 1,2,4,5 and 9 Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was one of the greatest composers of the late Romantic period and a giant of the piano. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Mussorgsky and other Russian composers is evident in his early works, later giving way to his personal style, which stands out in song-like melodies of extraordinary expressiveness together with rich ‘orchestral’ colors. Rachmaninov’s deep understanding of the piano’s potential as a performance instrument is surely one of the main factors in the attractiveness of his works, while the technical challenges were never intended for the sake of mere virtuosity, but to serve the musicality of his works. Most of his piano works are collections of relatively short pieces, the most notable of which are the two Etude-Tableaux collections and the two Prelude collections. Lilacs, op. 21 No. 5 In April 1902, Rachmaninov composed eleven songs for voice and piano which were combined with an earlier work, and put together into a collection of songs op. 21. Rachmaninov composed the collection for his wife, Natalia Alexandrovna Satina, but with the main goal of selling them and earning enough to pay for their A Tribute Recital
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