By the way, check out last week's Composer of the Week - Mozart!
Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C Sharp minor, aka "The Bells of Moscow"
After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory at a young age of 19, Rachmaninoff composed this short piano piece, the Prelude in C Sharp minor, and played it during his public debut as a pianist in 1892. The piece was so well-received and quickly gained so much popularity that audiences would ask for it to be played after every recital as an encore.
The piece is also known as "The Bells of Moscow" because the looming, ominous and unwavering chords that drives the music were reminiscent of the tolling of church bells in Moscow. It was also arguably a much more memorable name than, simply, the "Prelude in C Sharp minor", so it was easy to see why the name became popular. Later in his life, Rachmaninoff clarified that he did not, in fact, have the Russian church bells in mind when he composed the music.
This performance is by the pianist Evgeny Kissin and played as an encore after a performance of the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto.
