Rachmaninoff – Isle of the Dead[play] [buy]

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When Rachmaninoff saw this painting in Paris, he was so inspired that he wrote a whole musical story around it. I find both pieces impressive, and I’m surprised that no filmmaker has yet been inspired enough to further the cycle with a proper film to accompany the music.

Keep listening, because the composer seems to delight in upping the ante each time the dramatic part comes back around. For me, its the quiet parts in the middle that intrigue me the most. Its like a woman in a white dress padding barefoot through the stone courtyards, just out of reach. The goal of the journey, but left behind as the piece ends. Beautiful.