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Andantino in B-flat minor from “Six moments musicax“. Author: Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1043). The first piece has an andantino (moderate) tempo and tt is divided into three distinct sections: the first presents a theme in common time (4/4) with a typical nocturne figure for the left hand; a mid-piece pause at roughly the same area in Schubert's first Moments musicaux further emphasizes the influence of Schubert. The second part is marked con moto (with motion) and it is a variation of the first theme in the unusual configuration of seven quarter notes per measure (7/4). This part ends in a cadenza. The third section presents the last variation of the theme, again in common time, but in the fastest tempo yet, Andantino con moto. The piece ends in a coda that returns to the first tempo, and repeats portions of the previous three parts. It ends with a perfect authentic cadence into B-flat minor. The Andantino is the longest in the set by playing time; it is described as a “generic-hybrid,“ combining elements of the nocturne and theme and variation genres. The melody is chromatic, syncopated, and long, all idiosyncratic elements Rachmaninoff often includes in his works. Because of this, the Andantino is sometimes called an extension of his Nocturne in A minor of the Morceaux de Salon set (Op. 10, No. 1, 1894). However, Andantino stands on its own with difficulties, such as the sections with multiple phrases in a single hand. Pianist: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
