- Rachmaninoff composed his Symphonic Dances in 1940. It was his last composition. The piece is also one of only four works the composer wrote outside his native Russia (the other three are Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 3, and Piano Concerto No. 4). However, Symphonic Dances was Rachmaninov’s only work written exclusively in the U.S.
- Fun fact – all four of these works written outside of Russia were premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
- Additional fun fact – according to Rachmaninov’s sister-in-law, the composer considered Symphonic Dances his best composition.1
- Rachmaninoff had a lifelong fascination with tone color, and in this work, that led him to the unusual choice of adding an alto saxophone to his orchestration.
- There are religious and nostalgic overtones to the Symphonic Dances. The first movement quotes chant-derived motifs from his First Symphony; the last movement quotes the Dies irae chant and Blagosloven yesi, Gospodi (“Blessed be the Lord”) from his own All-night Vigil (composed in 1915). Rachmaninoff wrote “I thank thee, Lord” at the end of the score.2
Sources
- Harlow Robinson, “Symphonic Dances,” Boston Symphony Orchestra, accessed June 23, 2026, https://www.bso.org/works/rachmaninoff-symphonic-dances.
- Geoffrey Norris, “Rachmaninoff [Rakhmaninov, Rachmaninov], Serge,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed April 1, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000050146.
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