Sergei Rachmaninoff - 6 Moments Musicaux, Op.16 (Pogorelich)

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
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6 Moments Musicaux Op.16 (1896)
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Ivo Pogorelich (1958 - )
Recorded in 2001

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6 Moments Musicaux, Op.16, is a set of solo piano pieces composed by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff between October and December 1896.

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Each Moment Musicaux reproduces a musical form characteristic of a previous musical era. The forms that appear in Rachmaninoff's incarnation are the nocturne, song without words, barcarolle, virtuoso étude, and theme and variations.

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1.Andantino in Bb minor (0:00)

The first piece presents a theme in common time with a typical nocturne figure for the left hand. The second part is marked con moto, and is a variation of the first theme in the unusual configuration of 7/4 time. This part ends in a cadenza. The third section presents the last variation of the theme, again in common time, but in the fastest tempo yet, Andantino con moto. The piece ends in a coda that returns to the first tempo, and repeats portions of the previous three parts. It ends with a perfect authentic cadence into Bb minor.

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2.Allegretto in Eb minor (10:16)

The second piece is in the quick tempo of allegretto. This piece represents a typical nineteenth-century étude, with a melody interspersed between rapid sextuplet figures. It is in strict ternary form with a coda: identical beginning and ending sections, and a contrasting middle section. The second section radically changes dynamics, constantly changing from piano to fortissimo and even sforzando.
The piece ends is a slow coda in Adagio which closes with a plagal cadence in E♭ minor.

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3.Andante cantabile in B minor (14:45)

The continual gauntlets of number two are relieved by the third piece in the set, an "introspective rêverie." Drawing on the previous illustration of a "generic hybrid", this piece is described as a mixture between the song without words and funeral march genres, to create what is called the "most Russian" piece of the set, containing both sonorous bass and a solid melody, characteristics of Russian music.

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4.Presto in E minor (25:56)

The piece begins with a fortissimo introduction with a thick texture in the left hand consisting of chromatic sextuplets. The melody is a "rising quasi-military" idea. The middle section is a brief period of pianissimo falling figures in the right hand and rising scales in the left. The third section is marked Più vivo and is played even faster than the intro. At this point the piece develops a very thick texture, with the original left hand figure played in both hands in varying registers. The technique of rapidly changing the octave in which a melody is played, is used to present the figure in a more dramatic form that increases the intensity of the ending. The ending, a coda in Prestissimo, is a final, sweeping reiteration of the theme that closes in a heavy E minor chord.

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5.Adagio sostenuto in Db major (29:03)

The piece is similar to the form of a barcarolle, a folk song with a rhythmic tuplet accompaniment.
Lacking any prodigious figures or difficult runs, the piece displays Rachmaninoff's capability for musical lyricism. Although the piece seems simple, the mood must be sustained by playing simultaneously restrained but dynamic triplet figures in the left hand. The melody, a chordal texture with frequent suspended tones, creates a difficult task in voicing, and placing the correct emphasis on the correct notes. Its relatively short melody lines are a direct contrast to Rachmaninoff's characteristically long lines, giving a shorter time to bring out the phrases.

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6.Maestoso in C major (35:17)

The last piece in the set is a quintessential nineteenth-century work, and has been described as an "apotheosis or completion of struggle." It appears to be inspired by the texture in the Präludium from Schumann's Bunte Blätter. Dynamics play a large part in this piece: the fortissimo marked at the beginning is maintained all throughout the first section, with only brief respites to mezzo forte. The middle section is wholly softer, and contains two areas with significant mounting tension. Here, Rachmaninoff manipulates the theme contrapuntally to develop a canonic effect.
Immediately before the coda, the thick texture and canon suddenly disappear and the piece becomes piano. Upon entering the coda, the work resumes the forte theme and amalgamates to a majestic ending played fortississimo.

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Although revolutionary and grand in style, they retain the charm of his early works, as mentioned by pianist Elizabeth Wolff: "They are typical of his early works, dense, rich in counterpoint, highly chromatic, poignantly nationalistic, deeply felt, and of course, exceptionally challenging to the pianist."