Trifonov's Rachmaniana
Who knew there are still modern day concert pianists composing their own works instead of just playing those of other composers'? Better yet, in a style borrowed from the greats, consequently conserving the conventional instead of following contemporary standards. Not that I don't enjoy contemporaries but it's really cool to see a present-day composer writing in a considerably classical style. Maybe there are more that I have yet to discover, but I'm really happy to know it's still well and alive.
This coming from one of my favourite pianist may merely be a compliment out of bias. Not only coming from a favourite pianist, but also on a favourite composer - maybe by Trifonov an homage, or a heavily influenced suite that he named it after Rachmaninoff, or both. Whatever it's supposed to be still makes its way to the one of the top 10 most epic musical crossovers.
Only 11 minutes long, maybe not a very bad length for first-timers, hopefully short enough to muscle through. Personally I sometimes find it a shame that it isn't any longer, as in, there could be even more added to this, like there's a bigger potential of a suite, but maybe thats what the composer intended to publish, so that is what we are left with and have to be content with. With that, if this does not satisfy, one should instead go on to compose an extension themselves, but who am I kidding? As if an amateur could even write something as good or as stylistically sound as this.
The suite itself might not be as melodically and harmonically conventional or familiar to the ear, at least not to everyone I worry. At first it was somewhat difficult for me to take in too, but I found that the best way to understand is by imagining. Personally, I'd like to think of it as a voyage, the sea. Ultimately every person's imagination differs, but I could go on to elaborate a whole scene.
The start is like sailing in the middle of the quiet sea. The waves soon begin to rise, you feel the boat rocking (i), and then the sea is oddly calm again, but this is merely the calm before the storm. I noticed that the bass added some texture, like some sort of ominous reminder of the upcoming storm (ii). Now here it comes, the tempest, the raging storm (iii), you'd see the splashes of glittering water, illustarted by those high notes that you hear. As dangerous as it all is, you can't help but admire the beauty as you feel alive. (iv) You then find yourself submerged, but the rays of sun that seeps through is sign to pull through, so you decide to push through and continue your journey (v).
Hearing it as it is, without any further imagination, and merely admiring the harmonies isn't all that bad either. That is, again, maybe if you are used to less tonality or the conventional harmony. Also I'd like to add how the occasional emphasis on the bass adds a really good slap, which I notice in a lot other Russian composers, so I'm not sure whether it's cultural or incidental.