The five pieces of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Morceaux de fantaisie, op. 3 are one of the earliest indications of the composer’s burgeoning mature and individual style. Composed in 1892, the year of his graduation from the Moscow Conservatory, Rachmaninoff dedicated the set of pieces to his harmony professor, Anton Arensky. The work’s title, meaning “fantasy pieces,” alludes to their being, in essence, character pieces, and not to any freedom of form. Indeed, nearly all five pieces embody a regular ternary form.
Closing the collection is the “Sérénade” in B-flat minor. A charming and modest waltz, the entire piece is infused with a Spanish flare and one can easily imagine the strumming of the guitar in the accompanimental chords of the left hand. A sostenuto introduction precedes the actual waltz, which juxtaposes a passionate melodic motif that hovers around the dominant against a lively and fiery rhythmic response. The waltz adopts the passionate motif as its principal subject, and interestingly, much of it passes by in particularly soft tones (in more than one place the dynamic pppp is indicated), punctuated only by a few louder exclamation. Rachmaninoff revisited this piece in 1940, rescoring and revising some passages, but most importantly freeing it from its extremely hushed demeanor, and rather impractical dynamics. Even in this later form, the “Sérénade” is somewhat repetitive at times, but nonetheless possess enough energy and zeal to provide a satisfying close to the collection. Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Violin Music
Sergei Rachmaninov
Serenade, Op. 3 Play
Recorded on 01/01/1980, uploaded on 02/21/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
The five pieces of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Morceaux de fantaisie, op. 3 are one of the earliest indications of the composer’s burgeoning mature and individual style. Composed in 1892, the year of his graduation from the Moscow Conservatory, Rachmaninoff dedicated the set of pieces to his harmony professor, Anton Arensky. The work’s title, meaning “fantasy pieces,” alludes to their being, in essence, character pieces, and not to any freedom of form. Indeed, nearly all five pieces embody a regular ternary form.
Closing the collection is the “Sérénade” in B-flat minor. A charming and modest waltz, the entire piece is infused with a Spanish flare and one can easily imagine the strumming of the guitar in the accompanimental chords of the left hand. A sostenuto introduction precedes the actual waltz, which juxtaposes a passionate melodic motif that hovers around the dominant against a lively and fiery rhythmic response. The waltz adopts the passionate motif as its principal subject, and interestingly, much of it passes by in particularly soft tones (in more than one place the dynamic pppp is indicated), punctuated only by a few louder exclamation. Rachmaninoff revisited this piece in 1940, rescoring and revising some passages, but most importantly freeing it from its extremely hushed demeanor, and rather impractical dynamics. Even in this later form, the “Sérénade” is somewhat repetitive at times, but nonetheless possess enough energy and zeal to provide a satisfying close to the collection. Joseph DuBose
More music by Sergei Rachmaninov
Romance, Op. 11 No. 5
Etude-Tableau in A minor, Op. 39, No. 6
Prelude Op. 3, No. 2, in c-sharp minor
Prelude Op. 32, No. 5, in G Major
Loneliness, Op. 21 No. 6
Prelude Op. 23, No. 10, in G-flat Major
Moment Musicaux Op. 16, No. 3
Prelude Op. 23 No. 5
Moment Musicaux Op. 16, No. 4
Piano Concerto No. 3 in d minor, Op. 30
Performances by same musician(s)
Navarra
Abandon
Lotus Land (after Scott)
Estrellita, from Canciones Mexicanas
Habanera, Op. 21, No. 2, from Three Spanish Dances
Andante
Mazurka
Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99
Danse Espagnole
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