The first piano sonata of Rachmaninoff was one of his Dresden pieces, which he composed when he

was in Dresden for three winters when he went there 1906 with his family. The other pieces
composed during this period of his include the second symphony in E major and the aborted Monna
Vanna opera. Rachmaninoff himself said that 'Nobody will ever play this composition. It's too
difficult and long.' He also feared that his work was inadequate, 'And I myself often wonder, maybe
it is all nonsense.' But included in that nonsense are also the 3rd piano concerto and his symphonic
poem Isle of the Dead so let us assume the stance that it is not at all. Rachmaninoff was known for
having self-esteem issues about his works.
Rachmaninoff's inspiration for this sonata was Liszt's Faust symphony. Goethe's Faust lays ground
to the three movements in this sonata. The first movement represents Faust himself, the second
Gretchen and the third, and so last, Mephistopheles.

Exposition:
3:27 Motive #1 Subject Group #1: This piece is written in the key of d minor and so we start with a
series of questions and answers with rising and falling fifths, with embellishment. This very
strongly establishes d minor as our tonality. The questions and answers can easily be traced to
Faust's dissatisfied yearning for more than the pure physical.
3:53 Continuation of motive #1 starting to move faster harmonically, displaying some melody..
Showcasing virtuosity and again playing with the fifths and also incorporating some sixths.
4:26 Transitional theme: A buildup which is going to culminate, a simple serie of ascensions to
create anticipation, moving in the dominant which is A major.
4:48 Culmination #1: First culmination in a simple harmonic progression which however doesn't
include the obvious d minor, but goes C major, g minor, C major, g minor with a following descent
going into the transition.
5:01 Transition: This is the transition that later leads into the second subject group. Modulating in a
form of sequence arriving at a G flat major which also is a culmination, and calms itself down
before moving on.
5:35 2nd Subject Group: Moving into the second subject group we are now in B flat major,
presenting a new theme. Repeating notes with some minor movements, but the pure intent on
staying on one note is very obvious.
6:08 : Building on the last theme he is now starting to move harmonically, we sense some direction.
From B flat major, to E flat major, F major, G major, establishing G major as a dominant and using
a c minor to enhance that, we move into the codetta.
6:31 Codetta: Using G major as a dominant to lead into the development, which starts in c minor.
Repeating notes from the second subject group theme is used but melodic speed is gretaly enhanced
creating a sense of urgency. Moving in the key of c minor. Introduces scalar elements which are
fleshed out in the development section. A scale leads us to the sixth degree of the c minor scale
which also happens to be part of a G major 9 without a root chord.

Development:
6:59 Iteration of the first motive, this time however in the new established ttemporary tonality of c
minor. Introduces an important element in the development, the both scalar and chordal
symmetrical inversion, first in A major to move into another iteration of the first theme this time in
d minor. Following this is again this symmetrical movement this time however in B major which is
signalizing that we are starting to expand into new harmonical territory.
7:46 Completely new theme: While the left hand bears the melody and the right hand a form of
leggerio accompaniment the harmonic landscape starts to get more complicated. Shifting from B
major to c minor, back and forth, going back to the symmetrical figure this time in C sharp major,
where the almost canon-like, polyphonic structure comes to play. The theme with left-hand melody
and right-hand leggerio is then repeated in C sharp major, before a Piú vivo section is really
developing this symmetrical idea. Going through E flat major in the left hand, A flat minor in the
right, repeating it though now switching hands, then ascending through G major, A major, B major
and somehow resting there in quite literally a canon until continuing on to C major in the next
theme this development is quite complex to say the least.
8:47 New theme that commences a long buildup that will result in a series of culminations later on:
Playing with scales, chromatics, the fifths now so familiar at this stage in the piece, he is moving
upwards in the culmination. C major, D flat major, c sharp minor, D major, B flat major, d minor, G
major, leading into the next buildup which starts all over. Although the harmonical progression isn't
linear, the melody is, coinciding with the harmonical structure.
9:26 New theme, continuing the buildup: Beginning a new buildup structure, increasing the sense of
urgency he uses eights that go into dotted quarter notes, almost like an acciaccatura. The top notes
of the chords clearly shows a very natural ascending and descending melodic curve, starting over
every third bar. Moving through E flat major, B major, c minor, A flat major, before delving into the
first in a series of culminations.
9:51 Culmination: In the tonality of e flat minor, this culmination continues the trend of
acciaccatura-like structures in the left hand covering a wide range of register in the left hand while
the right hand mostly plays fast chordal accompaniments. Modulating to e minor the almost same
structure is then repeated before modulating into f minor in a frenzy starting over and over again in
the melody of the left hand.
10:14 Another buildup: Starting another buildup in the key of D flat major. The melody is still in the
left hand in the form of chords. Grandiose culmination it truly is, when all the registers are vibrating
with the D flat major in 2 fortes. He actually makes some sense when he calms down and gets to a
dominant of A flat major, before continuing the culmination of D flat major in the lower registers
when the theme of the second subject group of the exposition comes back. He modulates back to d
minor going with the same theme. This would be the retransition to the recapitulation.

Recapitulation:
11:16 Repetition of first theme: The first theme is repeated, but with some changes and additions.
11:54 The second subject group from the exposition is brought back, this time in d minor however,
and he is fleshing it out quite a bit, moving harmoincally through the tonic, subdominant, dominant,
parallel and modulating to a kind of transition in the dominant of A major.
12:35 Transition: A kind of buildup of A major with a chordal succession that has the left hand bass
note go down in what seems like a d minor melodic scale with some chromatic exceptions. This
leads to a melodic structure in the right handstarting with E flat major, going through B flat major, E
flat major, d minor and some D major augmented fifth chord before beginning a chromatic
succession of chords down to d minor where he repeats a figuration from the first theme with the
fifths and the sixths, When descended, he ascends with d minor, employing chromaticism at the top
before reaching the final point of major tension.
13:06 Final point of tension: Employing a symmetrical line and even crossing of melodies across
both hands embedded in chords he goes to some sort of b minor 7th with a diminished fifth, F major
7th, back to the b minor and lastly to a A major 9th before resolving to some sort of second subject
group in the key of D major.
13:17 Second subject group: Comes back very strongly to a D major which now finally feels like
home. He brings back the codetta from the exposition but this time in D major. He is modulating a
bit before returning to the last part which is the second subject group from the exposition this time
however, again, in D major. This last part is basically only reveling in D major, appreciating the
sense of home to the fullest. He purposefully concludes the first movement with a falling fifith, and
what better way is there to tell the listeners that the story is over. At least temporarily until the
second movement begins.