Pianist Boris Giltburg Discusses Rachmaninoff's Compositional Genius and Translation Projects

Pianist Boris Giltburg recently performed Rachmaninoff's First Piano Sonata in Dresden, reflecting on the composer's orchestral approach to piano writing. Giltburg notes that Rachmaninoff considered this sonata essentially a symphony, and imagining orchestral colors aids in understanding its structure. He highlights how Rachmaninoff seamlessly bridges piano and orchestral versions, as seen in works like the Symphonic Dances, which exist in both two-piano and orchestral arrangements. Giltburg points out that Rachmaninoff's music, while idiomatic for the instrument, consistently evokes orchestral or vocal textures, with his Second Piano Concerto featuring natural transitions between piano and clarinet lines. Despite the emotional richness, Giltburg emphasizes that Rachmaninoff's work is underpinned by sharp intellect and precise architectural planning. The composer's early works already show his distinctive voice, with strong imagination even when formal craftsmanship was still developing. Giltburg also mentions Rachmaninoff's Vespers, which was officially banned in the Soviet Union but recorded in the late 1960s by the Academic Choir of the USSR under Alexander Sveshnikov. Beyond music, Giltburg is engaged in translation projects from Hebrew to English, including a cycle of sonnets by Israeli poet Lea Goldberg and a short story by Nobel laureate S.Y. Agnon. He discusses the challenges of translating Agnon's archaic rabbinic Hebrew, which lacks direct English equivalents, and his method of treating the prose poetically to preserve its rhythmic qualities. These translations are slated for publication by a publisher in Portland, Oregon, with the short story due next year and the sonnets in 2028.