Sergei Rachmaninoff composed the symphonic poem The Rock in 1893. The piece is based on two different literary sources: the poem of the same name by the Russian romantic poet Michail Lermontov (1814 – 1841) and Anton Chekhov’s short story On the Road. Rachmaninoff added the two opening lines of the poem as a prefix to his score (as did Chekhov at the beginning of his story): "Upon the breast of a gigantic crag, / A golden cloudlet rested for one night."

Both the poem and the narration deal with the same subject: the encounter between a young, happy and joyful woman and an old, sad and troubled man. The poem describes this encounter in a symbolical and metaphorical way, the story, on the other hand, tells it in a realistic way.

In Lermontov’s poem, a golden cloudlet gets caught in “the breast of a gigantic crag” and stays for the night. When the cloudlet blows away the following morning, it leaves a touch of moisture behind, creating the image of an old rock left “gently weeping” after its departure.

In Chekhov’s story, two travelers – a young woman and an old man - meet in a tavern while seeking refuge from a heavy storm. The old man spends the night recounting stories from his life with great enthusiasm, and, in so doing, reveals his tremendous sadness. The young woman recognizes this sadness and pities him for it, but when the morning comes, she continues on her way, leaving the man standing in the snow staring after her.

In his symphonic poem, Rachmaninoff depicts this encounter using musical elements derived from the Russian tradition. The piece opens with the lowest voices of the orchestra playing in unison a slow and heavy musical motive that represents both the old man and the rock. A few bars later a light and brisk motive played by the flute begins - the theme of the young woman and the golden cloudlet.

Rachmaninoff then creates a dialogue between the two protagonists alternating slower, sadder tempi in the lower voices and quicker, more upbeat melodies in the upper registers. When the woman departs, he reintroduces the opening musical idea combined with a funeral march in the brass section. Surges in dynamics represent the sobs of desperation from the old man left behind.

When Rachmaninoff presented parts of his orchestral fantasy on the piano in Moscow in 1893, Tchaikovsky was also in the audience. The elder composer was so impressed by the work that he agreed to conduct the world premiere of The Rock himself. Unfortunately Tchaikovsky’s sudden death prevented this from happening. The world premiere finally took place in Moscow in 1894, conducted by Vasili Safanov.


Text: Ina Heimann

The Rock (1893)
Fantasy for orchestra op. 7
Picc.2.2.2.2.-4.2.3.1.,Timp.,Perc.,Hp,Strgs
Duration: 16'