This is the final portion of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Serge Rachmaninov. It is played by Mikhail Pletnev in this video.
The genius of Rachmaninov comes through in all of his work but this one shines bright. Rachmaninov took a simple Paganini melodic line and played it backward to immortalize an extremely beautiful new melody.
Add to that the almost athletic ability to play Rachmaninov and the exquisite and sheer beauty of the piece becomes a fete accompli of which anyone would be proud. I believe it was pianist Earl Wright who said something to the effect that to play Rachmaninov it would be easier if you had ten fingers on each hand rather than ten fingers total. Watch Pletnev's hands as he switches from simple one finger sections to both hands flying across the keyboard so fast they blur.
This was a great way to start my Thanksgiving Day at 4:30 am. It also brought to mind this exchange* between Miranda and Spock from TOS:
Miranda: The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
Spock: And in the way our differences combine to create meaning and beauty.
Happy Thanksgiving!
no question..
If you would like to listen/see the entire piece you can go to DIVX or click on the Youtube to find the three parts individually uploaded.
*Source: Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty?
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