Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 (1907-1908)
Nikolai Lugansky, 2023
Moscow Philharmonic

I. {Faust}

[0:00] Intro. (Allegro moderato)
[0:42] Expos. - Theme 1 (Meno mosso)
[2:45] Expos. - Theme 2, in the style of orthodox chant (Moderato)
[4:26] Development
[8:36] Recapitulation
[11:42] Gretchen leitmotif
[12:23] Coda
[13:05] Palindrome


II. {Gretchen}

[13:35] A - intro. (Lento)
[15:56] B - Dev. (Lento - Più mosso)
[17:58] A' (Tempo I)
[20:22] Coda


III. {Flight to the Brocken, with Mephistopheles}

Exposition -

[22:14] Galloping theme (Allegro molto) - (Faust leitmotif interjects 23:04)
[23:47] Dies irae & other themes
[25:32] Cantabile theme
[26:44] Gretchen leitmotif
[27:08] Faust theme
[27:35] Gretchen theme (Dies irae interrupts 28:08)

[28:50] Dev. (ft Dies irae)
[29:31] Recap.
[34:52] Verdict


“[...] In communications with his colleagues, Rachmaninoff suggested both that he had been inspired by the Faust legend (the movements being portraits of Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles), and that he considered expanding the sonata into a symphony. But the programmatic inclination eventually was abandoned, and while the music is certainly conceived with a sweeping orchestral palette in mind, the composer never undertook the transformation.

Gloriously, all the stylistic traits heard of Rachmaninoff’s most beloved music are found here. The sinister and mysterious opening gives way to soaring passages redolent of hymns and the tolling of the bells of Russian Orthodox churches – a fixture in Rachmaninoff’s compositions throughout his career. The unexpectedly tranquil ending of the first movement leads to the gentle Lento second movement, which is, like the Adagio of the Second Symphony, a consoling and passionate song without words, a melody that remains aloft and unfurling throughout. The virtuoso’s imperatives come crashing back in the concluding Allegro molto. The mystery of the opening of the Sonata is revisited, but dark resounding chords triumph, martial and incendiary. "

— Grant Hiroshima, Los Angeles Philharmonic

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