Composed: 1940
Premiered: 1941, Philadelphia
Duration: 35 minutes

Although Rachmaninoff ultimately became one of the world’s foremost concert pianists, the last in the line of composer-performers in the Romantic tradition of Liszt, he had a remarkably slow start. It was not until after his departure from Russia after the Revolution that he began serious practice, and only by concentrated effort did he eventually achieve the technical mastery for which he was noted. Even before this time, however, the piano was his chief love, and most of his compositions were for this instrument. However, once his career as a performer took off, time for composition became hard to find, and most of his works date from his younger years.

His Symphonic Dances is a suite completed in 1940, his last composition. By this time, Rachmaninoff had heard a lot of music by younger composers, and he began to incorporate some of their ideas in his own compositions. At the same time, although he had lived away from Russia for most of his life, his soul remained very Russian. Russian melodies, especially the chants and bells of the Russian Orthodox Church, kept appearing in his music, as well as occasional quotations from his own earlier works.

Symphonic Dances is in some respects a nostalgic summing-up of his life and career. The title Symphonic Dances suggests that Rachmaninoff may have thought of this music as a ballet, and he discussed this possibility with the choreographer Michel Fokine, but nothing came of the idea. He dedicated this work to the Philadelphia Orchestra and their conductor, Eugene Ormandy, his favourite orchestra. They performed the premiere in 1941.

Program note by the late Dr. C.W. Helleiner