Rachmaninov: Aleko

Opera no 160

Rachmaninov: Aleko

Soloists

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Neeme Järvi

We think of Rachmaninov as very much a composer of the 20th century (I’m sure in part because of his significant recorded legacy going right through the to late 1930s) but of course he has his roots firmly in the 19th century. This one act opera was his graduation piece from the Moscow conservatory where it was admired by Tchaikovsky. Even in his late teens Rachmaninov was part of the Russian musical establishment. 

This is a remarkable work for a teenage student. It is clearly in the tradition of Borodin and Tchaikovsky with some delightful folk-style music for the gypsy element as well as some exciting dramatic passages. The style is assured and one would never guess the age of the composer if you heard it cold. Only a fairly brief fugal choral section hinted at the fact that this was a student work: Rachmaninov presumably included it to show his teachers his mastery of academic forms.

This is the piece that first brought Rachmaninov fame. It is such an assured piece that one regrets that he did not develop into a full-fledged opera composer. There are a couple of other one act operas from a few years later but after that he left the form behind. I suppose that the life of an international piano virtuous just left him no time to devote to opera. Based on this piece that is a great loss.