Sergei Rachmaninoff had already been a star in Russia and Europe for years when he finally negotiated a lucrative debut tour of the United States for the 1909 season. He wanted a new showpiece for the tour, so he spent his summer vacation in 1908 drafting the Piano Concerto No. 3, but given his packed schedule he didn’t have time to learn the piano part until he was sailing across the Atlantic, practicing in his stateroom on a silent keyboard he brought along.
The much-anticipated premiere of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto took place on November 28, 1909, with the New York Symphony Society conducted by Walter Damrosch. (Rachmaninoff stopped in New York again later on the tour, reprising the concerto with Gustav Mahler conducting the New York Philharmonic.) The concerto became an even bigger sensation when another Russian expatriate, Vladimir Horowitz, added it to his repertoire and recorded it in 1930. Rachmaninoff was so astounded by Horowitz’ rendition that he never performed the concerto again in public, but other rising stars took the challenge, and “Rach 3” became a benchmark for aspiring soloists and a fixture at competitions. The concerto’s iconic status jumped yet another notch following its star turn in the 1996 movie Shine.
For all the hyperbole surrounding it, the Third Piano Concerto comes off quite elegant and understated, starting with the octave melody that opens the work. The musical vocabulary bears the stamp of High Romanticism in its sunset days, with surging climaxes and nostalgic melodies. The centerpiece of the first movement is an extended cadenza—most pianists use the longer and denser of the two versions Rachmaninoff wrote—which emerges into transcendent woodwind solos.
The second movement passes through mournful themes of a Slavic character, tinted by the dark hues of muted strings and low woodwinds, until connecting without pause to the Finale. Here Rachmaninoff is at his most playful, developing a martial-like theme in the piano and exploring crisp and dry orchestral textures.
Solo piano; two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, strings
