Variation 18 of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini composed in 1934. Rachmaninoff said of this piece: "This one, is for my agent." as he sensed it would become a commercial hit. It's composed by playing upside down the original melody from Paganini. The original is like a piano concerto (solo piano vs orchestra) and I'm trying to do it on a single keyboard with sampled sounds.

The theme was used in the movie Somewhere in Time in 1980 starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

The instrument is a Clavia Nord Stage 2 using a sampled Bösendorfer grand piano and sampled orchestra strings.

Transcription for solo piano by Hermene W. Eichhorn. Re-uploaded with new take on Jan 26, 2014.

Live video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgj3lVcaGT4

Video

Somewhere In Time: Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Variation 18

Mikhail Glinka - The Lark - Evgeny Kissin

Chopin Heroic Polonaise Op.53 A Flat Major - Played by Valentina Lisitsa

A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

These are some of my favorite classical piano pieces performed by some of the greatest pianists I've heard, you'll love at least one. 

Chopin Valse Op 64 No 2 Waltz In C Sharp Minor 7 Valentina Lisitsa

Rachmaninov's Prelude in G minor Op.23 No.5 performed by Phil Best

You can also follow me on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/2MRR1lV and stream the albums I have released there.

Prelude in G minor Op. 23 No. 5 - Rachmaninov

You can also follow me on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/2MRR1lV and stream the albums I have released there.

Mendelssohn Venetian Gondola Song Op 30 No 6

Chopin: Waltz in C#minor op.64 no.2

Civic Orchestra of Chicago in concert with Cliff Colnot - Orchestra Hall, May 29, 2011

The Rite of Spring  Part 1

Prelude Op. 28, No. 15, by Frédéric Chopin, known as the "Raindrop" prelude. Recorded in March 2001

The Rite of Spring Part 1

CivicOrchestra of Chicago