The Concept of the “Dreams about Russia” in the Interpretation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Variations on a Theme of Corelli”
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Abstract
The theme of the relationship with his native land presents the dominant trait of Rachmaninoff’s worldview. His last composition for solo piano, the “Variations on a Theme of Corelli” opus 42 (1931) was composed at the time of his emigration after a decade of creative silence. Having been forever separated from Russia by the revolution, the composer in his Variations narrates about the fate of his beloved native land in the 20th century, about the force of the “Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless.” While not forsaking his previous romantic ideals in the sphere of feeling and lyrical melody, Rachmaninoff nonetheless discloses here an indisputable commitment to 20th century art as well. The composition may be discerned for its stern ascetic color and a special significance of each sound, along with a neoclassical piano texture. The concept of the “dreams about Russia” is rationalized by the author by means of the method of conceptual integration: it is founded on associative thinking, a scenario, and a theatrical approach on the part of the pianist towards the musical text. The basis of the concept is presented by an abundance of stable semantical signs of the musical text, as well as its intertextual connections. The foundation of the group-division of the cycle as a dramatic whole is presented by various transformations of the basic theme – a folia. The concept is aided by the saturation of images of combined art forms and an active usage of rhetorical devices in the composition.
Keywords: pianistic interpretation, integration of the concept, associative plot.
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