Lugansky - Rachmaninoff, Variations on a Theme of Corelli

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Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, for piano, Op. 42 (1931)
Nikolai Lugansky, 2004

[0:00] Theme: Andante
[1:02] Var. 1: Poco più mosso
[1:38] Var. 2: L'istesso tempo
[2:10] Var. 3: Tempo di Minuetto
[2:48] Var. 4: Andante
[3:51] Var. 5: Allegro (ma non tanto)
[4:10] Var. 6: L'istesso tempo
[4:29] Var. 7: Vivace
[4:58] Var. 8: Adagio misterioso
[6:01] Var. 9: Un poco più mosso
[7:13] Var. 10: Allegro scherzando
[7:45] Var. 11: Allegro vivace
[8:06] Var. 12: L'istesso tempo
[8:47] Var. 13: Agitato
[9:20] Intermezzo
[10:32] Var. 14: Andante (come prima)
[11:47] Var. 15: L'istesso tempo
[13:26] Var. 16: Allegro vivace
[13:56] Var. 17: Meno mosso
[14:59] Var. 18: Allegro con brio
[15:32] Var. 19: Più mosso. Agitato
[15:58] Var. 20: Più mosso
[16:53] Coda: Andante


“It’s in France, in the Pavilion located in the heart of the Rambouillet forest, that Rachmaninov wrote his Variations on a theme of Corelli. To be exact - variations on variations rather than on a theme, as the famous “Folia" motif had inspired not only Corelli but also musicians such as Lully, Marin Marais, Vivaldi, CPE Bach, and others. In triple meter, the theme resembles a sarabande.

Rachmaninoff made more than just a series of variations. He organized a true cycle by connecting and grouping variations, adding intermezzo and coda and, above all, breaking away from the initial form. The end result is that the first few variations adhere to the original structure while the succeeding ones at times stretch and extend into full-fledged development.”

Original from FranceMusique -

“C’est en France, dans le Pavillon situé au cœur de la forêt de Rambouillet, que Rachmaninov écrivit ses Variations sur un thème de Corelli. Des variations sur des variations plutôt que sur un thème, puisque le célèbre motif des « Folies d’Espagne » avait inspiré, outre Corelli, des musiciens tels que Lully, Marin Marais, Vivaldi, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach et bien d’autres. À trois temps, le thème ressemble à une sarabande. Comme Corelli, Rachmaninov en fit plus qu’une succession de variations, organisant un vrai cycle en liant certains numéros entre eux, en y ajoutant intermezzo et coda, et surtout en se détachant plus ou moins de la formule initiale. Ainsi, les premières variations respectent la structure originale tandis que les suivantes s'étireront parfois à la façon d’un véritable développement.”