Sergei Rachmaninow

Symphony in D minor

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) composed the Symphony in D Minor, later known as the "Youth Symphony," in 1891 while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory; the surviving manuscript is dated September 28, 1891. Intended as a full symphony but left complete only in its opening movement, Grave - Allegro molto, the work reveals the young composer's absorption of the Russian symphonic tradition of Tchaikovsky and his teachers while already displaying the dark sonorities and dramatic sweep that would become hallmarks of his mature orchestral style. No documented premiere from Rachmaninoff's lifetime is known, and the score was first published posthumously by Muzgiz in 1947. Today, Symphony in D Minor "Youth Symphony," TN ii/43 remains a rarity rather than a standard repertory work, but it is valued as an important early glimpse of Rachmaninoff's symphonic ambitions and is occasionally performed or recorded alongside the later numbered symphonies. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint of the edition by Pavel Lamm.