It has been said that composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) had extraordinarily large hands. If you ever attempt to play one of his extremely difficult piano pieces, you might agree. He not only had little regard for any “normal” musician’s hand size, but also just loved ultra-fast notes in rich, multi-part textures that reflected his Romantic, mysterious, and dark moods.
And so, musical comedians often find various ways to make fun of Rachmaninoff’s music… and the brave pianists who try to play it! Here is a video of funny duo finding a way to adapt little hands to big music:
One more thing I need to mention… I went to the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Concert on May 14 and was ASTOUNDED that they had a high school pianist perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, First Movement. Dong Won Lee did an amazing job with a WILD piece! Rachmaninoff had dedicated this piece for a friend who politely declined to perform it, saying it “wasn’t for him,” and that he was sad that he never tried this piece as a student, when he was “still too young to know fear.”
