Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29 (Hendrik Burkard - ORGAN)

Louis Robilliards transcription of Rachmaninovs Symphonic poem played on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Madeleine church in Paris. Sergei Rachmaniov (1873-1943) is said to have first encountered and been deeply impressed by the famous painting “The Isle of the Dead“ by the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) during his stay in Paris in 1907. The painting, of which the artist produced five versions between 1880 and 1886, enjoyed great popularity at the fin de siecle and far beyond. Originally created as a commissioned work for a young widow, “The Isle of the Dead“ with its dark, morbid aura is often understood as a symbolist expression of the decline of “old“ European culture on the threshold of the modern technological age. Böcklins impressive piece of art became the subject of numerous works of art in the fields of music, painting, literature and film. Rachmaninov composed his symphonic poem during a stay in Dresden in 1909 and conducted the pre