This work was written for inclusion in the collaborative anthology le Tombeau de Rachmaninov, with contributions from composers Stephen Hough, Alan Mills, Peter Fribbins, Cecilia McDowall and Takashi Yoshimatsu.
As the programme note for the premiere states première states '…it was decided to commission a companion work to [Ravel's] Le Tombeau de Couperin. Six composers were asked to submit a movement each to create a new dance suite, this time in memory of Rachmaninov, hence the work's title Le Tombeau de Rachmaninov. The famous Russian pianist-composer was never a direct victim of the Great War, but he was forced into exile shortly after the Russian Revolution in 1917, losing contact with many of his family and friends.'
The Rigaudon is a high-spirited piece in his own distinctive idiom, but with more than a nod to Ravel and Rachmaninov. The baroque elements in the outer sections are clearly audible, while the central section provides an elegiac contrast.
It is dedicated to the memory of the composer's great grandfather, George William Smith who was a fatally wounded in action during the First World War.
Performance: Rigaudon
Saturday 31st October 2015
Noriko Ogawa, piano | Muza Kawasaki, Kawasaki, Japan | Details tbc
Works: Rigaudon
World Premiere: Rigaudon
Sunday 19th April 2015
Noriko Ogawa, piano | The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK
Works: Rigaudon
