| The russian pianist Boris Berezovsky performs this prelude op. 23 no. 5 in G minor by Sergueï Rachmaninov. Sergei Rachmaninoff completed his Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 in 1901. It was included in his Opus 23 set of ten preludes despite having been written two years earlier than the other nine. It epitomizes Rachmaninoff's Russian nationalism, rich in full chords an evocative theme. Rachmaninoff himself premiered the piece in Moscow on February 10, 1903, along with Preludes No. 1 and 2 from Op. 23. The Prelude's taut structure is in ternary form, consisting of an opening "A" section with punctuated sixteenth-note chords (marked Alla marcia), a more lyrical and melancholy "B" section with sweeping arpeggios in the left hand (marked Poco meno mosso), a transition into the original tempo, and a recapitulation of the initial march. The Alla marcia section is in itself in ternary ABA form. Within the first three measures of the Prelude, Rachmaninoff introduces the unifying factors of the piece (notwithstanding the Poco meno mosso section). First, the chordal march of measure one; second, the fragment on the second half of the beat in measure two; third, the fragment on the second half of beat two in measure three. |
