MUSIClassical notes: Rachmaninoff Caprice bohémien, Op. 12

Caprice bohémien, Op. 12 is a symphonic poem for orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1892-1894. An earlier example of Rachmaninoff's compositions, the piece consists of many moments played in full a tutti, which was the same bombastic approach that critics would lambast with his next composition, Symphony No. 1 in D minor. Caprice bohémien was better received than his first symphony, which gained respect only after the composer's death. The work is a "fantasy on Gypsy themes". After a short percussion entrance, the piece progresses with slow and dramatic chords voiced by the low woodwinds and mirrored by the low brass. A short interlude by high winds brings the piece to an outburst from the strings—a theme echoed various times throughout the piece. The middle of the piece is drawn-out, being orchestrated as "lugubrious". In the last several minutes of the capriccio, which is around a total of 20 minutes, the orchestra rebuilds to several loud and powerful themes. The idea of a gypsy's pleasures in life is shown with the wondrous and lively ending sequence. After a short and powerful respite in B minor, the composition ends in a blaring E major chord.

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