The Bells, Op.35

Composed in 1913 to Konstantin Balmont’s free adaptation in Russian of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells (Kolokola in Russian), was one of Rachmaninoff’s favorites among his own works. Balmont’s Russian setting was sent to the composer by an anonymous admirer while he was in Rome. Rachmaninoff often referred to the work as a 'choral symphony' and even for a short time as his 'Third Symphony'. Composed at the same desk used by Tchaikovsky, the piece has some parallels with the works of the earlier Russian master - notably the Pathétique Symphony and The Queen of Spades. Rachmaninoff conducted the premiere himself in Moscow on February 8, 1913. In contrast to our companion vocal score with Russian text and transliteration only, this arge-size vocal score is a digitally-enhanced reissue of the original 1920 Gutheil score transcribed by the composer’s friend Alexander Goldenweiser which includes the Russian text along with translations in German and English. Unlike so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages and the images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable. Matching large score and orchestra parts are also available from Serenissima Music (95458).