Sergey Rachmaninov: Suite in D minor II. Lento Julia Severus, piano

Sergey V. Rachmaninov: Suite in D minor, I. Allegro moderato Julia Severus, piano On January 6, 1891, 17year old Rachmaninov wrote to his friend Natalia Skalon: These two and a half days I have been composing all the time; I have just finished the instrumentation of my suite. And on January 10: As to the orchestral suite, my affair did not get off, they wont play it as it is written for large symphonic orchestra So next year I will organize a concert myself and play it Now I gave it to Tchaikovsky to look at, I trust him blindly. Rachmaninovs piano transcription of the Orchestral Suite was found in pianist Alexander Silotis archive in Moscow only in 2002 (Siloti was Rachmaninovs cousin and a pupil of Liszt). The second movement in B minor, a sort of sombre sarabande, unfolds its tragic, introverted theme into a large hymn, flowing into a seemingly endless space. The Suite is featured in the Rachmaninov album Rare Piano Transcriptions by Naxosrecords.