Sergei Rachmaninoff
(1873-1943)

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

Composed 1934

When one thinks of superstar violinists, Niccolò Paganini comes to mind. The Italian virtuoso revolutionized 19th-century violin playing, reaching technical heights giving rise to legends of him selling his soul to the devil. His 24th Caprice for solo violin, a theme and variations, became the foundation for works by composers from Liszt and Brahms to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Its simple harmonic structure makes it especially adaptable to variation.

Russian émigré Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934. Despite its title, the work is a theme and variations concertante piece, transferring the virtuoso role from violinist to pianist–quite literally, as the violins first play the theme. Rachmaninoff, who had fled Russia after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, had largely abandoned composition to pursue a career as a touring pianist for financial reasons. The Rhapsody was composed while living in Switzerland, though he finally settled in Beverly Hills. The Philadelphia Orchestra and the conductor Leopold Stokowski premiered the work with Rachmaninoff as soloist, and made the first recording in Camden, New Jersey.

The piece begins not with Paganini’s theme but with its harmonic skeleton, much like the finale of Beethoven’s Eroica. Listen to how this simple foundation is transformed throughout the variations. In the 7th variation, Rachmaninoff sneaks in his oft-quoted hellish medieval liturgical chant Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”). The ominous presence of both themes grows until the 11th variation, when the music shifts towards what Rachmaninoff described as the realm of love.

That section culminates in the most famous and commercialized variation, the 18th. Rachmaninoff said of this variation: “This one is for my agent.” The variations that ensue lead towards the close with jarring key changes, cadenzas, Paganini’s defeat in variation 23, and a grotesque parody of the Dies Irae.

The final section begins quietly, with the return of the opening theme, now transformed. The cello takes the lead in building momentum through vibrant thematic development and flourishes, eventually giving way to a triumphant, major-key coda that ends the piece with brilliance and verve.

Instrumentation – two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings, and solo piano

Duration – 22 minutes