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Rachmaninoff is quoted as saying: "I look at my early works and see how much there is that is superfluous. Even in my sonata... so many voices are moving simultaneously, and it is too long. Chopin's Sonata lasts nineteen minutes, and all has been said." Interestingly, Rachmaninoff's 1931 revision reduced the playing time of the Second Sonata from twenty-six minutes to nineteen minutes. Entire sections were excised, melodic lines altered, textures thinned and passages refashioned. Obsessively self- critical and prone to frequent revision of his works, Rachmaninoff searched through-out his creative life for greater economy and simplicity of expression. While some revisions are generally regarded as definitive "improvements," e.g. the First Piano Concerto, I do not feel this is the case with the Second Sonata. In the 1931 revision, Rachmaninoff really re-cast the material from the early version, with a changed perspective, into a very different mold. We know the virtues and beauties of the 1931 version. But, once we examine the 1913 version, we cannot help but fall in love with its many glories: the climax and sumptuous fortissimo chords in the first movement; the ravishingly beautiful last page of the second movement; and the dizzying virtuosic splendor of the finale. Although copies of the 1913 version have existed in western libraries and private collections, few musicians have known where to find them. I have discovered no one in this country who remembers a public performance of the complete 1913 version until my own performances (and recording*) of it during the 1985 - 1986 season. But there has long been, among pianists, a kind of legendary curiosity about this version, piqued in a large measure by Vladimir Horowitz's wonderfully effective re-working of the Sonata -- a mixture of the 1913 and 1931 versions. Program Notes from the International Music Company Edition of this Sonata by John Browning Since Browning's 'outing' of the original version in it's entirety, it has gained popularity and has also been released by the original publisher, Boosey and Hawkes. Browning's notes and editorial markings may be found in the International Music Company's edition of this sonata. NOTE that in the IMC printing there are important errors made. For more info on these errors, e-mail me. In addition to this Sonata, Rachmaninoff also revised the following works:
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