Sergei Rachmaninoff — Élégie, Op. 3 No. 1 [Ashkenazy]

Élégie is the opening piece of Rachmaninoff’s Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3, written in 1892 when the composer was just 19 years old. Introspective and deeply lyrical, the work unfolds like a quiet inner monologue, marked by long, singing melodic lines and a gently pulsing accompaniment. The music moves between resignation and longing, building subtle emotional tension rather than overt drama. Its dark harmonic color and spacious phrasing already anticipate the mature Rachmaninoff style, where melancholy is balanced by warmth and expressive depth. This piece invites the listener into an intimate sound world—reflective, restrained, and profoundly human—making it one of Rachmaninoff’s most poetic early piano works. #bach #piano #music #pianomusic #classicalmusic #art #musician #chopin #rachmaninoff