Symphony No. 1 (Rachmaninoff)

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Sergei Rachmaninoff's First Symphony in D minor, Op. 13, premiered in 1897 under the baton of Alexander Glazunov. Rachmaninoff commenced work on the symphony in 1893 and was initially very happy with his work. The symphony's premiere was an absolute flop; Rachmaninoff left in agony before the performance was finished. Several attendees remarked that Glazunov seemed drunk.

1 Contemporary critical response
2 Rachmaninoff's reaction
3 Scoring
4 Movements

[edit] Contemporary critical response

The work was lambasted by reviewers, most famously by César Cui, who said that "if there were a conservatory in Hell, and if one of its talented students was to compose a symphony based on the story of the Seven Plagues of Egypt, and if he had written one similar to Rachmaninoff's, he would have brilliantly accomplished his task and would have delighted the inhabitants of Hell."

[edit] Rachmaninoff's reaction

The work's failure left Rachmaninoff shattered and he was unable to compose for several years, until family members and friends convinced him to seek hypnotic therapy with Dr. Nikolai Dahl. The famous product of these meetings was the immensely popular Second Piano Concerto.

Despite the work's failure, it is being performed more frequently today, even though Rachmaninoff destroyed the full score. The instrumental parts were later discovered by Aleksandr Gauk and several scholars reconstructed the full score. Some critics today feel the symphony is one of Rachmaninoff's best works; it is full of youthful enthusiasm, soaring melodies, shows the beginning of his obsession with Russian Orthodox chants, the motivic use of bells, and a very Wagneresque orchestration including a heavy brass section, a gong, and a tambourine. Interesting also is the presence of dies irae, the motive which occurs in many of his later works. Inscribed in the symphony is the biblical quotation "Vengeance is mine" -- a prophetic statement, indeed.

Rachmaninoff quotes the first theme of the first movement in his Symphonic Dances in a very serene way, with a lush and peaceful orchestration. The symphony had not been published or heard in almost fifty years, and it is very unlikely that anyone outside Rachaninoff's immediate circle caught the reference; it may be viewed, however, as Rachmaninoff coming to terms with the failure of the symphony.