Rachmaninoff was a melodious man, writing some of the most beautiful melodies in music. Today's post is a great example of the composer's ability in transcending the beautiful into near tragedy.

The Vocalise, Op.34, No.14 was published in 1912 with thirteen songs compiling the Fourteen Songs, Op.34. It was dedicated to Russian soprano, Antonina Nezhdanova, who when approached by Rachmaninoff about performing it, was hesitant to premiere it because of the lack of words. Despite the work being meant to not have words, Rachmaninoff was believed to have said, "Why do we need words? You can express everything better and more fully with your voice than anyone else can with words..."

Here are two great, different arrangements for this work. The first one is with soprano and orchestral accompaniment, the second one on the violin and orchestral accompaniment.


Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performing with Stephen Barlow conducting.


Violinist Itzhak Perlman performs