Serge Rachmaninoff: Vocalise // Principal Cello David Cohen

Programme Note Serge Rachmaninoff is most closely associated with large scale, passionate symphonies and terrifyingly difficult music for the piano. Surprisingly then, one of his most famous pieces started life as a song. Vocalise was actually the final song in a collection for voice and piano. It was written for soprano and was to be sung on one vowel of the performer’s choosing; now of course, it exists in many different versions. An unsettled pulsing piano accompaniment, uneven phase lengths, a melody that constantly twists, and a tiny semiquaver ‘turn’ are what make this piece so arresting. Note by Rachel Leach David Cohen cello Alina Pritulenko piano Recorded at LSO St Luke’s 29 September 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the LSO’s channel: Subscribe to LSO newsletter: Follow the LSO on: Instagram: Facebook: TikTok: @londonsymphonyorchestra Twitter: Website: Apple Music: Spotify: LSO Live: