Rhapsody on a Piece of Rachmaninoff (Part D)

"Concerto vs Concertante"

"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" is not a concerto, unlike other Rachmaninoff's compositions for piano and orchestra. It is a concertante piece, i.e. it is similar to a concerto in character but does not follow all of its rules. For example, Rhapsody is a single-movement composition, whereas a concerto must consist of three movements. Here we come to the first analogy between the piece and life: We too have no movements in life, which is a constant flow that terminates only with our death. However, we can outline movements, as Rachmaninoff did, dividing his Rhapsody into three sections corresponding to the three movements of a concerto: a slow movement preceded and followed by fast movements. Still, life, like the Rhapsody, has to be performed in a single stretch, none part of it is self-contained.

However, it is easy to divide life into these interdependent parts that are smaller than movements, particularly for younger people. Those under twenty-five have lived through one to two movements at best, and they don't comprehend them, but they know how to mark up their lives - with years! These years for us are the same as the variations for the Rhapsody. Precisely, the main difference between the Rhapsody and a concerto and between life and fiction is that everything consists of variations, not of movements with the formulated conventional structure of contrasting themes, internal development, and so on. This is a serious statement that has far-reaching implications. I will devote most of this article to proving that life is a series of variations and what that means for everybody.

Before reading this, please read previous parts to understand what I'm writing about here. And please follow me on langcorrect to edit subsequent instalments of the Rhapsody. I am working on a very detailed essay, which promises to be compelling for many classical music fans, especially for Rachmaninoff's aficionados.