Rachmaninoff – Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33 No. 1,2 – Grimaud, Piano
The Études-Tableaux (“study pictures”), Op. 33, is the first of two sets of piano études composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. They were intended to be “picture pieces”, essentially “musical evocations of external visual stimuli”. But Rachmaninoff did not disclose what inspired each one. The study No. 2 in C Major is characterized by a marked lyricism and a very expressive melody while the No. 1 in F Minor has a martial character. – Hélène Grimaud
