Rachmaninoff's repertoire

[Phil Caron]

In reading Max Harrison's "Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings"
(Continuum, 2005), I was fascinated by the documented growth in this great
pianist's repertoire. Below is a yearly list drawn from the book.



The list includes piano works Rachmaninoff played in either the concert hall
or in the recording studio. Dates only indicate the year a work was added
to his repertoire.



Rachmaninoff's own piano works are omitted. He performed or recorded
virtually all of them, usually starting the year they were composed.



Some works that Rachmaninoff only seems to have played parts of are listed
without noting that. For example, he only played a couple movements from
Debussy's Children's Corner.



In a single concert in 1915, Rachmaninoff soloed in Liszt's 1st,
Tchaikovksy's 1st, and his own 2nd concertos.



Rachmaninoff rejected many (most) recording takes, including those of some
major works that were never released. For example, Beethoven's Sonata Op.
10/2, Liszt's Ballad #2 and Spanish Rhapsody, and Schulz-Evler's Blue Danube
paraphrase. All rejected recordings are said to have been destroyed per
Rachmaninoff's wishes.



- Phil Caron



==============================

Rachmaninoff's repertoire



(born 1873)



1885 Bach: English Suite #2



1887 Tchaikovsky: Troika > The Seasons Op. 37



1892 Rubinstein: Concerto #4

Schumann: Kreisleriana



1911 Tchaikovsky: Concerto #1



1915 Liszt: Concerto #1

Scriabin: Concerto, Sonata #2, Sonata #5, Fantasie Op. 28, Poeme Op. 32/1,
Poeme Satanique Op. 36, Preludes Op. 11, Etude Op. 8/12



1917 Bach-Busoni: Chaconne

Beethoven: 32 Variations in c-minor, Sonata Op. 10/3

Chopin: Sonata #3, unspecified etudes

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies #2 & 12,

Scriabin: Etudes Op. 42

Haydn: Variations in f-minor

Medtner: Fairy Tales Op. 20 & 26

Schubert: unspecified Moments Musicaux

Mozart: unspecified piece



1918 Chopin: Polonaise Op. 40/2, Nocturne Op. 27/1, Waltz Op. 42

Godowsky: Renaissance paraphrases #11 & 12

Rubinstein: Barcarolle, unspecified polka

Scarlatti-Tausig: Capriccio L84, Pastorale L413

Tausig: 2 unspecified Waltz-Caprices

Tchaikovsky: Romance Op. 5



1919 Mozart: Sonata K. 331

Beethoven: Sonata Op. 31/2

Chopin: Ballade #2, Scherzo #2, Polonaise Op. 26/2, Impromptu Op. 29,
Waltzes Op. 64/3 & 69/2, unspecified etudes

Liszt: Gnomenreigen, La Campanella, Waltz >Gounod's Faust

Schumann: Carnaval, 2 unspecified Paganini etudes

Mendelssohn: Variations Serieuses, Rondo Capricioso, Song without Words Op.
67/4

Alkan: Comme il Vent Op. 39/1, Marche Funebre Op. 26

Rubinstein: Etude Op. 23/2



1920 Beethoven: Sonata Op. 10/2, Sonata Op. 90

Chopin Ballade #1, Barcarolle, Nocturne Op. 48/2, Etudes Op. 10/5 & Op.
25/2, 3 & 9, Mazurkas Op. 59/2 & 63/3, Waltzes Op. 34/2, 64/1 & 3, 70/1

Schumann: Papillons

Mendelssohn: 8 unspecified Songs without Words

Debussy: Childrens' Corner

Grieg: Op. 12/2 & 4, 19/1, 68/2

Medtner: 2 Novellen Op. 17

Tchaikovsky: Waltz Op. 40/8

Weber: Momento capriccioso

Paderewski: Menuet Op. 14/1

Daquin: Le Coucou



1921 Handel: Variations in Bb

Beethoven: Sonata Pathetique

Chopin: Ballade #3, Scherzo #3, Polonaises Op. 26/1 & 53, Nocturne Op. 27/2,
Waltzes Op. 18 & 70/3

Liszt: Ballade #2, Grand Galop Chromatique, Sonetto del Petrarca 104,
Tarentella > Venezia e Napoli

Schumann: Novellette Op. 21/8

Grieg: Ballade

Weber:-Tausig Invitation to the Dance

Medtner: Fairy Tale Op. 34/3

Dohnanyi: Capriccio Op. 28/6



1922 Beethoven: Sonata Appassionata

Chopin: Sonata #2, Fantasie, Nocturne Op. 15/2

Chopin-Liszt: The Maiden's Wish

Schumann-Tausig: Der Kontrabandiste

Liadof: Etude Op. 5

Medtner: Improvisation Op. 31/1

Moszkowski: La Jongleuse

Strauss-Schulz-Evler: Paraphrase on the Blue Danube



1923 Bach: English Suite #2

Chopin: Nocturne Op. 62/2, Prelude Op. 28/19

Liszt: Funerailles, Spanish Rhapsody, Liebestraum #3

Schubert-Liszt: Ave Maria

Henselt: Si oiseau j'etais

Tchaikovsky: Humoresque Op. 10/2, Variations Op. 19/6

Wagner-Brassi:n Magic Fire Music

Delibes-Dohnany:i Naila Waltz



1924 Bach-Liszt: Prelude & Fugue in A

Chopin: Ballade #2, Scherzo #4

Liszt: Sonata in b-minor, Polonaise #2

Schumann: Sonata Op. 22

Gluck-Sgambati: Melodie > Orfeo

Saint-Saens-Siloti: The Swan

Schubert-Liszt: Das Wandern

Strauss-Godowsky: Kunstlerleben paraphrase



1925 Bach: Partita #4

Beethoven-Rubinstein: Turkish March > The Runis of Athens

Schubert: Impromptu D. 899/4



1926 Beethoven: Sonata Op. 26

Chopin: Nocturne Op. 15/1, Introduction & Rondo Op. 16

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #15

Mendelssohn: 2 Etudes Op. 104

Schubert-Tausig: Andantino & Variations

Schumann: Symphonic Etudes

Brahms: Intermezzo Op. 118/6



1927 Bach-Busoni: 2 Organ Preludes

Chopin: Etude Op. 10/1, Nocturne Op. 9/2

Liszt: Paganini Etude #6, Sonata apres Dante

Medtner: Sonata Op. 25/1

Scriabin: Sonata #4

Strauss-Tausig: Man lebt nur einmal, Valse-Caprice #1

Taniev: Prelude & Fugue Op. 29



1928 Mozart: Sonata K. 576

Beethoven: Sonata Op. 109

Debussy: Jardins sous la pluie, La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin

Ravel: Tocatta > Le Tombeau de Couperin

Medtner: Fairy Tale Op. 51/1

Scarlatti: 2 unspecified Sonatas



1929 Beethoven: Sonata Op. 78

Chopin: Fantasie-Impromptu Op. 66, Mazurka Op. 33/4, Nocturne Op. 32/1

Liszt: Valse-Impromptu

Wagner-Liszt: Spinning Chorus

Schubert-Tausig: Marche Militaire D.733/1

Medtner: 3 Hymns Op. 49



1930 Chopin: Polonaise Op. 44

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #9, Valse Oubliee #4

Schumann: Davidsbundlertanze

Medtner: Funeral March Op. 31/2

Balakirev: Islamey



1931 Beethoven: Sonata Les Adieux

Weber: Sonata #1

Chopin: Polonaise Op. 40/1,

Liszt: Harmonies du Soir

Brahms: 2 unspecified Ballades Op. 10



1932 Beethoven: Sonata "Moonlight"

Haydn: C-major Fantasia

Schubert: 2 unspecified Impromptus D. 935

Schubert-Liszt: unspecified lieder

Schumann-Liszt: unspecified lieder



1933 Beethoven: Sonata Op. 31/1

Schubert: Sonata D. 850

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #11

Liszt: Sonetto del Petrarca 123

Schumann: Arabesque

Debussy: Pour le Piano



1934 Bach-Tausig: Toccata & Fugue in d-minor

Chopin: Impromptu Op. 36, 2 unspecified mazurkas

Brahms: Ballade Op. 118/3

Scarlatti: 2 unspecified Sonatas



1935 Handel: Harmonious Blacksmith Variations

Chopin: Mazurka Op. 68/2

Scarlatti: several unspecified sonatas

Borodin: Scherzo



1936 Bach-Liszt: Fantasie & Fugue in g-minor

Field: 2 unspecified nocturnes

Chopin: Mazurka Op. 7/3

Liszt: Paganini Etude #2, Valse Oubliee #3



1937 Bach: Italian Concerto

Beethoven: Concerto #1

Chopin: Mazurka Op. 63/2

Liszt: Prelude Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

Debussy: Suite Bergamasque



1938 Beethoven: Sonata Op. 111

Chopin: 12 unspecified preludes Op. 28, 3 unspecified etudes Op. 25

Rameau: Variations in a



1939 Bach: French Suite #6

Liszt: Totentanz for pf & orch

Schubert-Liszt: Die Forelle

Poulenc: Toccata



1941 Chopin: 2 unspecified mazurkas

Schumann: Concerto



1942 Chopin-Liszt: The Return Home

Schubert-Liszt: Serenade

Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien



(died March 1943)

[t***@yahoo.com]

It is a terrible loss that Rachmaninoff did not record the Alkan
Studies, particularly the first one, Comme le vent. Ronald Smith has an
impressive, although not completely consistent performance. Imagine now
if Marc Andre-Hamelin or Stephen Hough were to make a recording of this
music.

The Real Dwight Frippery
not to be found at Hotmail

[t***@yahoo.com]

It is a terrible loss that Rachmaninoff did not record the Alkan
Studies, particularly the first one, Comme le vent. Ronald Smith has an
impressive, although not completely consistent performance. Imagine now
if Marc Andre-Hamelin or Stephen Hough were to make a recording of this
music.

Thanks for the great information.

The Real Dwight Frippery
not to be found at Hotmail

[JohnGavin]

Post by Phil Caron
In reading Max Harrison's "Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings"
(Continuum, 2005), I was fascinated by the documented growth in this great
pianist's repertoire. Below is a yearly list drawn from the book.
The list includes piano works Rachmaninoff played in either the concert hall
or in the recording studio. Dates only indicate the year a work was added
to his repertoire.
Rachmaninoff's own piano works are omitted. He performed or recorded
virtually all of them, usually starting the year they were composed.
Some works that Rachmaninoff only seems to have played parts of are listed
without noting that. For example, he only played a couple movements from
Debussy's Children's Corner.
In a single concert in 1915, Rachmaninoff soloed in Liszt's 1st,
Tchaikovksy's 1st, and his own 2nd concertos.
Rachmaninoff rejected many (most) recording takes, including those of some
major works that were never released. For example, Beethoven's Sonata Op.
10/2, Liszt's Ballad #2 and Spanish Rhapsody, and Schulz-Evler's Blue Danube
paraphrase. All rejected recordings are said to have been destroyed per
Rachmaninoff's wishes.
- Phil Caron
==============================

Fascinating list - it's revealing to see SRs consistent devotion to
both Beethoven and Medtner - he obviously liked Scarlatti very much as
well.

[Matthew B. Tepper]

Post by JohnGavin
Fascinating list - it's revealing to see SRs consistent devotion to
both Beethoven and Medtner - he obviously liked Scarlatti very much as
well.

Too bad about RCA's Charles O'Connell, though.

[David Fox]

Post by Matthew B. Tepper

Post by JohnGavin
Fascinating list - it's revealing to see SRs consistent devotion to
both Beethoven and Medtner - he obviously liked Scarlatti very much as
well.

Too bad about RCA's Charles O'Connell, though.

My thoughts exactly. Every time I think about O'Connell/Rachmaninoff
saga I get angry all over again. I wonder why Rachmaninoff didn't play
EMI against RCA as Horowitz and Heifetz successfully did (pre-war, of
course).

DF

[D***@aol.com]

Post by Matthew B. Tepper

Post by JohnGavin
Fascinating list - it's revealing to see SRs consistent devotion to
both Beethoven and Medtner - he obviously liked Scarlatti very much as
well.

Too bad about RCA's Charles O'Connell, though.

How correct Matthew is. It seems that Rachmaninoff not only wanted to
make studio recordings of many things and was turned down by O'Connell,
he asked Victor to record some of his recitals live for possible
commercial release, including Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata. O'
Connell declined that too. As he evidently rejected Rachmaninoff's
request to record his Second Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra
(Rachmaninoff was also an exceptional conductor) because Victor had
recorded the work with Ormandy and the Minneapolis Symphony in 1935.
That's not a reflection upon Ormandy, but upon O'Connell.

I have known two people who heard Rachmaninoff play Beethoven's First
Concerto with Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony. One was Claudia
Cassidy, who told me it was extraordinary and unforgettable. If it
hadn't been for Charles O'Connell, we might have a recording of that
too.

Don Tait

[Phil Caron]

Post by D***@aol.com
How correct Matthew is. It seems that Rachmaninoff not only wanted to
make studio recordings of many things and was turned down by O'Connell,
he asked Victor to record some of his recitals live for possible
commercial release, including Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata. O'
Connell declined that too.

Rachmaninoff frequently made many takes before producing a recording he
regarded as acceptable, which in many works never happened at all. He was
more difficult in this than some other artists of that era, for example,
Kreisler. Recording Rachmaninoff in extended works was probably an
expensive proposition that could take many months. Surely he could have
been handled better by his producer, but I don't think it should be viewed
as one-sided.

Didn't Rachmaninoff suggest recording his recital programs in the studio, as
opposed to live? He is said to have approached performance and recording
quite differently.

While the things Rachmaninoff never recorded are tantalizing indeed, he did
leave one of the largest bodies of recordings of any pianist up until his
time, and their general level of excellence is very high.

- Phil Caron

[JohnGavin]

Post by JohnGavin

Post by Phil Caron
In reading Max Harrison's "Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings"
(Continuum, 2005), I was fascinated by the documented growth in this great
pianist's repertoire. Below is a yearly list drawn from the book.
The list includes piano works Rachmaninoff played in either the concert hall
or in the recording studio. Dates only indicate the year a work was added
to his repertoire.
Rachmaninoff's own piano works are omitted. He performed or recorded
virtually all of them, usually starting the year they were composed.
Some works that Rachmaninoff only seems to have played parts of are listed
without noting that. For example, he only played a couple movements from
Debussy's Children's Corner.
In a single concert in 1915, Rachmaninoff soloed in Liszt's 1st,
Tchaikovksy's 1st, and his own 2nd concertos.
Rachmaninoff rejected many (most) recording takes, including those of some
major works that were never released. For example, Beethoven's Sonata Op.
10/2, Liszt's Ballad #2 and Spanish Rhapsody, and Schulz-Evler's Blue Danube
paraphrase. All rejected recordings are said to have been destroyed per
Rachmaninoff's wishes.
- Phil Caron
==============================

Fascinating list - it's revealing to see SRs consistent devotion to
both Beethoven and Medtner - he obviously liked Scarlatti very much as
well.

Another thing - I feel sure his performances of the Bach suites would
have been nothing short of a revelation - I'm basing that on his sole
Bach recording, the Sarabande from Partita #4. Every time I hear that
Sarabande - I think of Rach, and his lilting way with it.

[t***@yahoo.com]

Post by JohnGavin
Another thing - I feel sure his performances of the Bach suites would
have been nothing short of a revelation - I'm basing that on his sole
Bach recording, the Sarabande from Partita #4. Every time I hear that
Sarabande - I think of Rach, and his lilting way with it.

I agree. Rachmaninoff was criticized for his very romantic approach to
Bach and yet this is not true. His musicianship is beyond compare with
the natural manner of his expression, yet his genius is in that you can
tell it is Rachmaninoff palying Bach. Have you heard the Busoni
recording of the 1st Prelude & Fugue from book one? This is a
revelation. It makes one wish they could go back in time and shoot the
heads of Columbia who turned down Busoni's offer to record all 48!

The Real Dwight Frippery
not at Hotmail ;-)

[t***@yahoo.com]

Post by JohnGavin
Another thing - I feel sure his performances of the Bach suites would
have been nothing short of a revelation - I'm basing that on his sole
Bach recording, the Sarabande from Partita #4. Every time I hear that
Sarabande - I think of Rach, and his lilting way with it.

I agree. Rachmaninoff was criticized for his very romantic approach to
Bach and yet this is not an insightful view of his performance style.
His musicianship is beyond compare - with the natural manner of his
expression, his genius is in that you can tell it is Rachmaninoff
palying Bach.

Have you heard the Busoni recording of the 1st Prelude & Fugue from
book one? This is a revelation. It makes one wish they could go back in
time and shoot the heads of Columbia who turned down Busoni's offer to
record all 48!

The Real Dwight Frippery
not at Hotmail ;-)

[Matthew B. Tepper]

***@yahoo.com appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:1135358460.416000.142030

Post by t***@yahoo.com
Have you heard the Busoni recording of the 1st Prelude & Fugue from
book one? This is a revelation. It makes one wish they could go back in
time and shoot the heads of Columbia who turned down Busoni's offer to
record all 48!

Good thing the later heads of the same company weren't just as bad.

Er.....

[t***@yahoo.com]

Considering what I just read about Hyperion - some things do not
change. It is a dark day for lovers of fine music.

The Real Dwight Frippery

[JohnGavin]

Post by t***@yahoo.com

Post by JohnGavin
Another thing - I feel sure his performances of the Bach suites would
have been nothing short of a revelation - I'm basing that on his sole
Bach recording, the Sarabande from Partita #4. Every time I hear that
Sarabande - I think of Rach, and his lilting way with it.

I agree. Rachmaninoff was criticized for his very romantic approach to
Bach and yet this is not an insightful view of his performance style.
His musicianship is beyond compare - with the natural manner of his
expression, his genius is in that you can tell it is Rachmaninoff
palying Bach.
Have you heard the Busoni recording of the 1st Prelude & Fugue from
book one? This is a revelation. It makes one wish they could go back in
time and shoot the heads of Columbia who turned down Busoni's offer to
record all 48!
The Real Dwight Frippery
not at Hotmail ;-)

A Busoni WTC would be fascinating for sure - frustrating when you start
thinking of what could have been.

[t***@yahoo.com]

Personally, I like Rachmaninoff's three arrangements from the E Major
Partita for Violin - He has often been criticized for his
embellishments. Are there other artists from this time whom you would
consider as excellent at the art of piano transcription, with a
particular emphasis on the works of Bach? (Excepting Busoni's mammoth
work.)

The Real Dwight Frippery

[JohnGavin]

Post by t***@yahoo.com
Personally, I like Rachmaninoff's three arrangements from the E Major
Partita for Violin - He has often been criticized for his
embellishments. Are there other artists from this time whom you would
consider as excellent at the art of piano transcription, with a
particular emphasis on the works of Bach? (Excepting Busoni's mammoth
work.)
The Real Dwight Frippery

The Bach-Rachmaninoff E Major has always been a favorite of mine. Of
the same era I also enjoy Godowsky's very free take on the
Unaccompanied Violin and Cello Suites of Bach. What Godowsky does
makes the Rachmaninoff arrangement sound very conservative, but they
are wonderfully creative and delightfully anachronistic. Of all
people, Igor Kipnis was a fan of the Godowsky arrangements.

[t***@yahoo.com]

I have heard the g minor cello suite in the Godowsky arrangement, and
for the moment the name of the performer escapes my mind. It was a
technically proficient performance, and the tempos were well chosen.
The sound of the recording was good, but when one has heard a great
artist like Rachmaninoff "toss off" a performance of a transcription,
it does make it very clear how hard it is to perform such music. Did
Igor Kipnis leave many recordings of transcriptions and such?

The Real Dwight Frippery

[t***@yahoo.com]

I have heard the g minor cello suite in the Godowsky arrangement, and
for the moment the name of the performer escapes my mind. It was a
technically proficient performance, and the tempos were well chosen.
The sound of the recording was good, but when one has heard a great
artist like Rachmaninoff "toss off" a performance of a transcription,
it does make it very clear how hard it is to perform such music. Did
Igor Kipnis leave many recordings of transcriptions and such? (Those of
Bach from the Vivaldi concertos and such?)


The Real Dwight Frippery