Études-Tableaux in e flat minor – Rachmaninoff Op 39 Nr. 5

Between 1914 and 1917, Sergei Rachmaninoff published two volumes of Études-Tableaux – a term coined by the composer with which he succeeded in expressing the blend of technical studies with programmatic character pieces. As withthe concert etudes of Chopin or Liszt, they represent a technical and interpretational touchstone for every pianist. One of the best-known pieces amongst them is the Étude-Tableau in E-flat minor with its dark towering chords anda weaving elegiac melody, such as only Rachmaninoff could write – so it is hardly surprising that none other than Vladimir Horowitz regularly performed the work in his concerts and recorded it several times.