The Études-Tableaux ("study paintings"), Op. 39, is the second of two sets of pianoétudes composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Op. 39 was composed sometime between 1916 and 1917[1] and were among the final works composed by Rachmaninoff before his exit from Russia.[2]
Structure
The Op. 39 set comprises nine études:
No. 1 - Allegro agitato in C minor - "The Sea"
No. 2 - Lento assai in A minor - "The Sea and the Seagulls"
No. 3 - Allegro molto in F♯ minor
No. 4 - Allegro assai in B minor
No. 5 - Appassionato in E♭ minor
No. 6 - Allegro in A minor - "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" [3]
No. 7 - Lento lugubre in C minor
No. 8 - Allegro moderato in D minor
No. 9 - Allegro moderato. Tempo di marcia in D major
Recordings
Rachmaninoff recorded Op. 39, No. 4 (piano roll only), and Op. 39, No. 6 (electrical recording and piano roll).[4][5]