Rachmaninoff's Tempi - Part 1
Thanks to the gramophone several of Rachmaninoff's compositions have been preserved in his own performances. However, it has been suggested in various sources that Rachmaninoff's style of piano playing underwent a dramatic change after 1917 that affected his sound and tempi. This suggestion fits in remarkably well with the image Soviet musicology wanted to create of a Rachmaninoff, who was supposedly unable to find peace and quiet for his art in a capitalist society. But is it true? Did Rachmaninoff's tempi change after 1917?
It is very important that in his scores of Rachmaninoff's Second and Third Piano Concertos the Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg (1871-1951) has preserved the composer's own tempi as played well before 1917 in performances that took place within a few years of both works' creation. Willem Mengelberg was very precise with metronome markings. Therefore these sources can be seen as most reliable. It is also interesting to observe that back in 1913 the composer played his Third Piano Concerto with just a single cut (in the climax to the cadenza) whereas his (1939/40) recording has numerous cuts.
Mengelberg's scores are presently kept at the Nederlands Muziek Instituut www.nederlandsmuziekinstituut.nl to whom I owe thanks for their kind assistance. The scans of the scores included here may be used for study purposes only and may under no condition be reproduced without the consent of the Nederlands Muziek Instituut and Boosey & Hawkes.
Elger Niels
Piano Concerto No. 2
In later years Mengelberg added the following inscription to the score: 'eerste uitvoering met den componist als solist, in 't Concertgeb. Nov. 1902. (onder mijn leiding.)' (First performance with the composer as soloist, in the Concertgebouw, November 1902 (sic!) (under my baton.)) 'N.B. Het eerste Thema, wilde hij: (Rachmaninoff) ff (zeer hartstochtelijk gevoeld) iedere noot zeer vurig!' (N.B. The first theme, he (Rachmaninoff) wanted ff (very passionately felt) every note full and very ardent!)
Moderato
Start: Mengelberg encircles the printed marking 'Moderato minim = 60', but nine bars into the score he writes 'Allegro apasionato (sic) minim = 80-86 Score cipher 1. minim = 88-92 'Streicher mit leichtem Bogen aber molto cantabile/Singen' (Strings: lightly bowed, but molto cantabile/Sing)
9 in 3 (9 bars into score cipher 3) Un poco più musso, minim = 104-112
4 (score cipher 4) Tempo I minim = 66
5 accell.
7 in 5 minim = 104
4 before 6 (4 bars before score cipher 6) ritenuto
6 minim = 76-72
9 in 6 minim = 92-80
16 in 6 minim = 104-116 'poco' crossed out, tempo marking reads now 'Un più mosso
7 minim = 104
9 in 7 Moto precedente, minim = 104
8 minim = 116-120
17 in 8 minim = 126!
12 before 10 minim = 108
4 before 10 minim = 92
10 Maestoso 'Marcia' 'Sehr leidenschaftlich' (very passionate) minim = 92-104
4 before 11 '(Meno)' 'Rit'
4 before 13 minim = 72 'movendo'
13 minim = 80 'Nicht zu langsam' (not too slow)
14 minim = 112
7 in 14 (+7 bars) rit.
9 in 14 (+9 bars) minim = 76-80
15 'Rachmaninoff selbst vor dem Schlußakkord!' (Rachmaninoff comes in before the final chord!)
6 before 5 ritenuto
2 in 15 Un poco meno mosso, minim = 72
16 minim = 80-86
Adagio sostenuto
Crotchet = 72
18 clear pizzicato
9 in 19 crotchet = 104
2 before 21 crotchet = 100
9 in 21 crotchet = 104-120
23 crotchet = 126
1 before 26 crotchet = 72 'Rachmaninoff mit Klarinet' (Rachmaninoff with Clarinet)
Allegro
Minim = 126-132
11 in 29 minim = 126
30 'Molto più' minim = 144
7 in 30 minim = 152
16 before 31 'Moderato bleibt 72' (Moderato stays at minim = 72)
32 crotchet = 108
32 (+12 bars) minim = 126
33 minim = 132
9 in 33 minim = 156
34 minim = 144-152
7 in 36 minim = 156
16 before 37 minim = 72
12 before 38 4/4 crotchet = 108
38 crotchet = 168-158
39 minim = 108
9 in 39 minim = 112
18 in 39 minim = 120
32 in 39 minim = 126
37 in 39 Maestoso 'molto appassionato', minim = 76-80
61 in 39 Più vivo, minim = 112
65 in 39 'Risoluto wordt leggiero' (risoluto becomes leggiero), minim = 112
Total = 35'
