Talk:Piano Concerto No.1, Op.1 (Rachmaninoff, Sergei)

There is considerable confusion as to whether there are really only two versions of the piece or three. Rachmaninoff revised his youthful concerto starting in 1917. However, he departed Russia late that year in the wake of the Revolution. Gutheil, since 1914 an imprint of Serge Koussevitzky's Edition Russe de Musique, did not issue the revised version until 1919. The conventional story is that there are only two versions, the original 1891 version (published by Gutheil in 2-piano score and possibly parts in 1893) and the revised version of 1917 (published in 2-piano score, parts, and full score in 1919). The problem arises from the score first issued by Muzyka in 1965 - labeled "vtoroe redaktsia" (second version), which was subsequently reprinted by Kalmus (initially advertised as the "1st version", later as the "1917 version, catalog A2418, with Gutheil parts revised and modified by Bruce MacIntyre to match the Soviet score). The same 1965 Muzyka full score was reprinted by Dover in their 1999 collection Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in Full Score. This score has a solo part which is nearly identical to the 1919 Gutheil score, the orchestration has several differences however. It is therefore unclear if the 1965 score represents an interim revision, or even a later revision of the score which first appeared in 1919. The actual first version (1891) was possibly not issued in a full score format until 1971 - though some sources mention a Muzgiz first publication of 1946. Hopefully, more information will surface in the near future to help clarify this issue. Carolus

Well I know both the TH book (the one that gave the pieces those numbers) and the later "Bio-Bibliography" book both only mention two versions, as does the linar notes for the recording of the original. Still, Rachmaninov was always revising this and that, and often even recorded "interim" versions of music, that is, something he eventually revised had already gotten some changes but not all of them. 1917 is the 'correct' date for the revised version, so it's likely that Rach simply added a few more minor changes before a second publishing, but not enough to be considered anything new (I haven't looked, how different is it?). It also possibly it was simply editorial stuff... ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ 15:00, 19 December 2009 (UTC)

And I see someone uploaded this supposed "interim" version. Has it been checked against the final version? ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ 01:58, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

We'll be checking it out soon. I sent Daphnis copies of the recently added things to scan, which he has graciously done (excellently, as always) and uploaded. Carolus 02:07, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

There are definitely differences in orchestration between the 1965 Muzyka score and the Gutheil 1919 score. Follow the recording by Neal O'Doan (which was made from the Kalmus score and parts available at the time of the recording - ca.1980) with the Gutheil score and you'll soon see what I mean. Carolus 02:51, 20 June 2010 (UTC)