Böcklin and Rachmaninoff again: Die Toteninsel

Arnold Böcklin, Die Toteninsel, 1886
Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig
(http://www.arnoldbocklin.com/ab_isleofthedead.htm)

Rachmaninoff saw the painting in Paris in 1907. It was the inspiration for a symphonic poem that would remain a classic example of Russian late-Romanticism.

The music begins by suggesting the sound of the oars of Charon as they meet the waters of the river Styx. Rachmaninoff then uses a recurring figure in 5/8 time to depict what may be the rowing of the oarsman or the movement of the water, and as in several other of his works, quotes the Dies Irae plainchant, an allusion to death. In contrast to the theme of death, the 5/8 time also depicts breathing, creating a holistic reflection on how life and death are intertwined.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_the_Dead_%28Rachmaninoff%29)

Rachmaninoff, Isle of the Dead Op. 29
conductor Evgeny Svetlanov
(video by First Public Channel)

(Arnold Böcklin)