Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

**Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43** is a concertante work for piano and orchestra by Sergei Rachmaninoff, written in a single movement and closely resembling a piano concerto. Rachmaninoff composed it at his summer home, Villa Senar in Switzerland, between 3 July and 18 August 1934. He performed the piano part at the premiere on 7 November 1934 at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The first recording, made on 24 December 1934 at RCA Victor's Trinity Church Studio in Camden, New Jersey, featured the same trio. The English premiere took place on 7 March 1935 at Manchester Free Trade Hall, with Rachmaninoff and The Hallé under Nicolai Malko.

The piece consists of 24 variations on the twenty-fourth and final caprice from Niccolò Paganini's solo violin Caprices, a theme that has inspired many composers. The entire work runs about 22–24 minutes. All variations are in A minor unless otherwise noted.

**Structure**

The work can be divided into three sections, corresponding to the three movements of a concerto: variations 1–10 form a first movement, variations 11–18 a slow movement, and variations 19–24 a finale.

**Section 1** (Introduction and Variations 1–10): Introduction (Allegro vivace), Variation 1 (Precedente), Theme (L'istesso tempo), Variation 2 (L'istesso tempo), Variation 3 (L'istesso tempo), Variation 4 (Più vivo), Variation 5 (Tempo precedente), Variation 6 (L'istesso tempo), Variation 7 (Meno mosso, a tempo moderato), Variation 8 (Tempo I), Variation 9 (L'istesso tempo), Variation 10 (L'istesso tempo).

**Section 2** (Variations 11–18): Variation 11 (Moderato), Variation 12 (Tempo di minuetto, D minor), Variation 13 (Allegro, D minor), Variation 14 (L'istesso tempo, F major), Variation 15 (Più vivo scherzando, F major), Variation 16 (Allegretto, B♭ minor), Variation 17 (Allegretto, B♭ minor), Variation 18 (Andante cantabile, D♭ major).

**Section 3** (Variations 19–24): Variation 19 (A tempo vivace), Variation 20 (Un poco più vivo), Variation 21 (Un poco più vivo), Variation 22 (Marziale. Un poco più vivo, Alla breve), Variation 23 (L'istesso tempo), Variation 24 (A tempo un poco meno mosso, A minor → A major).

**Analysis**

After a brief introduction, the first variation is played before the theme itself appears. The strings state Paganini's theme while the piano picks out salient notes. Rachmaninoff likely borrowed the idea of a variation before the theme from the finale of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. Variations 2 through 6 recombine elements of the theme. In Variation 6, pauses and rhetorical flourishes for the piano signal a shift in tempo and tone. The piano then gravely intones the Dies irae plainchant—the "day of wrath" from the medieval Mass of the Dead, to which the Paganini theme is to some degree an inversion—while the orchestra accompanies with a slower version of the opening motif of the Paganini theme. This is one of several Rachmaninoff works that quote the Dies irae melody.

The slow 18th variation is the most famous, often included on classical compilations without the rest of the piece. It is based on an inversion of Paganini's theme: the A minor theme is played upside down in D♭ major, with a few other changes. Rachmaninoff acknowledged its appeal, saying, "This one is for my agent."

The 24th variation is more playful than most, ending with a glissando sweep of the keyboard and quoting the original theme in the final bar. It presents considerable technical difficulty due to speed and large leaps. Before the world premiere, Rachmaninoff—who suffered from performance anxiety—confessed concern about playing it. On the suggestion of his friend Benno Moiseiwitsch, he broke his usual rule against alcohol and drank a glass of crème de menthe, which he reputedly kept under the piano to steady his nerves. The performance was a spectacular success, and he drank crème de menthe before every subsequent performance of the Rhapsody, leading him to nickname the twenty-fourth variation the "Crème de Menthe Variation."

**Balletic interpretations**

In 1939, choreographer Michel Fokine wrote to Rachmaninoff from Auckland, New Zealand, seeking approval to use the Rhapsody for his ballet *Paganini*, which he had nearly finished. Fokine wanted to reuse 12 earlier measures as a more theatrically effective introduction to the 18th Variation, and to play that variation in A major instead of D♭ major. Rachmaninoff agreed to the extra measures but said A major would not work, asking instead for D major to provide greater tension. He also questioned why Fokine's scenario turned Paganini into a guitar player, but did not object. *Paganini* premiered in 1939 by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The ballet was a success, pleasing Rachmaninoff, and he wrote his *Symphonic Dances* in 1940 with Fokine in mind. He played the piano version for Fokine, but both died before the idea progressed further. The Rhapsody has also been used for ballets by Leonid Lavrovsky (Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow, 1960), Frederick Ashton (Royal Ballet, London, 1980), and Ivo.