The beginning of the opening theme of the Piano Concerto No. 3

The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (colloquially known as the Rach 3) is a work for piano and orchestra, famous for its technical and musical demands on the soloist. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x340, 95 KB) Rachmaninovs 3rd piano concert, after the orchestral introduction comes the piano with the famous melody that starts like this Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Piano Concerto No. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (955x340, 95 KB) Rachmaninovs 3rd piano concert, after the orchestral introduction comes the piano with the famous melody that starts like this Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Piano Concerto No. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: , Sergej Vasilevič Rakhmaninov, 1 April 1873 (N.S.) or 20 March 1873 (O.S.) – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, one of the last great champions of the Romantic style of European classical music. ...

Following the form of a standard concerto, the piece is in three movements: The term concerto (plural is concerti or concertos) usually refers to a musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. ...

1. Allegro ma non tanto
2. Intermezzo: Adagio
3. Finale: Alla breve

The third movement follows the second without pause (attacca).

Movements

Allegro ma non tanto

A portion of the original cadenza (ossia)

The first movement revolves around a diatonic melody that soon develops into complex pianistic figuration. It reaches a number of ferocious climaxes, especially in the cadenza. Rachmaninoff wrote two versions of this cadenza: the dramatic and powerful original, commonly notated as the ossia, and a second one with a lighter, toccata-like style. In his recording of the concerto, the composer used the second cadenza. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ossia is a musical term for an alternate passage which may be played instead of the original passage. ... In Music theory, the diatonic major scale (also known as the Guido scale), from the Greek diatonikos or to stretch out, is a fundamental building block of the European-influenced musical tradition. ... A cadenza is usually now taken to mean a portion of a concerto in which the orchestra stops playing, leaving the soloist to play alone in free time (without a strict, regular pulse) and can be written or improvised, depending on what the composer specifies. ...

Intermezzo: Adagio

The second movement consists of a number of variations around a single lush, heavily romantic melody following one another without a rigid scheme. It ends with a short cadenza-esque passage which transitions into the last movement without pause.

Finale: Alla breve

The third movement is quick and vigorous and contains variations on many of the themes that are used in the first movement, which unites the whole concerto cyclically. The last movement is concluded with a triumphant and passionate melody in D major. The piece ends with the same four-note rhythm – claimed by some to be the composer's musical signature – as the composer's second concerto. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

History

Written in the peaceful setting of his family's country estate, Ivanovka, Rachmaninoff completed the concerto on September 23, 1909. He wrote the work in order to showcase his own talents not only as a composer, but as a pianist. Contemporary with this work are his First Piano Sonata and his tone poem The Isle of the Dead. Ivanovka (Russian: ) is an estate near Tambov, Russia, which used to be the summer residence of the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in the period between 1890 and 1917 (until his emigration). ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, in one movement, in which some extra-musical programme provides a narrative or illustrative element. ... Arnold Böcklins Isle of the Dead Isle of the Dead (or Island of the Dead; Toteninsel in the original German) is one of the best known paintings by Swiss-German artist Arnold Böcklin, as well as a piece of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, a film by Val...

The concerto is respected, even feared, by most pianists. Józef Hofmann, the pianist to whom the work is dedicated, never publicly performed it, saying that it "wasn't for" him (though this must have been for reasons other than the work's technical difficulty, since Hofmann was one of the greatest technicians in pianistic history). Józef Kazimierz Hofmann (January 20, 1876 - February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American pianist and composer. ...

Due to time constraints, Rachmaninoff could not practice the piece while in Russia. Instead, he practiced it on a silent keyboard that he took with him on the ship to the US.

The concerto was first performed on November 28, 1909 by Rachmaninov himself with the now-defunct New York Symphony Society with Walter Damrosch conducting, at the New Theater (later rechristened the Century Theater). It received a second performance under Gustav Mahler several weeks later, an 'experience Rachmaninoff treasured' [1]. The manuscript was first published in 1910 by Gutheil. The first performance in England was given by G T Ball (later Sir George Thalben-Ball) at the Royal College of Music in London. November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The New York Symphony Society was an orchestra founded in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. ... Walter Johannes Damrosch (born in Breslau, Prussia, January 30, 1862; died in New York City, December 22, 1950) was an American symphony conductor. ... A conductor conducting a band at a ceremony A conductors score and batons Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ... New Theatre or New Theater may refer to: The New Theatre (Bromley), England The New Theatre (Cardiff), Wales The New Theatre (Coral Gables), Florida The New Theatre (Fort Smith), Arkansas The New Theatre (Budapest), Hungary The New Theatre (Ireland) The New Theatre (London) The New Theatre (Oxford) The New Theatre... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2006 estimate... Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball (18th June 1896 - 18th January 1987) was an English organist and composer. ... // This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

A typical performance lasts around 40 minutes.

Performances and recordings

The first recording of the concerto was made by Vladimir Horowitz accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates for the HMV label in 1930. Vladimir Samoylovych Horowitz (Ukrainian: ; Russian: ) (1 October 1903 – 5 November 1989) was a Ukrainian-born, American classical pianist. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... Albert Coates (April 23, 1882 - December 11, 1953) was a British conductor and composer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ...

Many other famous pianists have recorded the concerto, including Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jorge Bolet, Van Cliburn, Lazar Berman, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, Stephen Hough, Byron Janis, Evgeny Kissin, Nikolai Lugansky, Dimitris Sgouros, Howard Shelley, Arcadi Volodos, and Earl Wild. and Rachmaninoff himself. Another very famous recording was performed by Evgeny Mogilevksy, years after he won the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition with the same concerto. He was seventeen at the time. Sviatoslav Richter claimed that there were several recordings of this concerto that were better than anything he could play, and that Mogilevksy's was one of them. Martha Argerich in 1962 Martha Argerich (born June 5, 1941) is a concert pianist of Argentine origin. ... Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (sometimes transliterated Ashkenazi) (Russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович А́шкенази) (born July 6, 1937) is a conductor and, more notably, a pianist. ... Jorge Bolet (November 15, 1914–October 16, 1990) was a pianist and conductor. ... Cliburn playing in the final round of the First International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr. ... Lazar Naumovich Berman (born February 26, 1930 in Leningrad and died February 6, 2005 in Florence) was a Soviet Russian classical pianist. ... Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (November 5, 1895 – October 26, 1956) was a German pianist and composer. ... Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс, Emili Gregorievič Gilelis; October 19, 1916 – October 14, 1985) was a Soviet pianist. ... Stephen Hough (born November 22, 1961) is a British-born classical pianist and composer. ... Byron (Yankelevitch) Janis (born March 24, 1928) is an American pianist widely considered to be one of the twentieth centurys greatest musicians (Classical CD). ... Evgeny Kissin Evgeny Igorevich Kissin (Russian Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син, Evgenij Igorevič Kisin) (born October 10, 1971) is a virtuoso classical pianist. ... Nikolai Lugansky (born April 26, 1972) is a Russian pianist, born in Moscow. ... Dimitris Sgouros (born August 30, 1969) is a pianist. ... Howard Shelley (born March 9, 1950) is a pianist. ... Arcadi Volodos (sometimes transliterated Arcady) is a Russian pianist renowned for his technical mastery of the instruments virtuosic repertoire; particularly that of Rachmaninov, Liszt and his transcriptions of recordings of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz. ... Earl Wild (born November 26, 1915) is an American pianist known especially for his transciptions of classical music and jazz. ... The Queen Elisabeth music Competition, a founder member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (1957) has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious, but also one of the most difficult in existence. ... Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter (Russian: , Svjatoslav Teofilovič Rikhter; March 20 [O.S. March 7] 1915 – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet pianist, widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. ...

One of the most famous recordings of the piece, known for its speed, is that of Martha Argerich performing live with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Riccardo Chailly. Martha Argerich in 1962 Martha Argerich (born June 5, 1941) is a concert pianist of Argentine origin. ... The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. ... Riccardo Chailly (born February 20, 1953) is an Italian conductor. ...

According to some critics^{[citation needed]}, the most technically astounding Rach 3 ever registered is a live performance by Vladimir Horowitz accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli, available on a pirate recording made in 1941. Ureli Corelli Hill, founder and first conductor. ... Sir John (Giovanni Battista) Barbirolli (December 2, 1899 - July 29, 1970), was a British conductor and cellist who led the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. ...

A recent (1995), highly acclaimed recording of the Rach 3 is by Leif Ove Andsnes with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paavo Berglund. Leif Ove Andsnes Leif Ove Andsnes (born April 7, 1970 in Karmøy) is a Norwegian pianist. ... The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (founded 1919) is an orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. ... Paavo Berglund (born: Helsinki, 14 April 1929) is a Finnish conductor. ...

This musical piece was also featured in the movie Shine starring Geoffrey Rush. Look up shine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning Australian actor. ...

Further reading

• W.R. Anderson: Rachmaninov and his pianoforte concertos. A brief sketch of the composer and his style. London 1947

Audio sample

Image File history File links Rach3Movement1. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (sometimes transliterated Ashkenazi) (Russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович А́шкенази) (born July 6, 1937) is a conductor and, more notably, a pianist. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... André Previn (born April 6, 1929)¹ is a prominent pianist, orchestral conductor, and composer. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

External links

• The Rach 3 recordings page
• Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra An analysis of Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra including the Piano Concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody
• Score of Piano Concerto No.3 at IMSLP