Rachmaninoff Variations by Teodor Doré

The album "Rachmaninoff Variations", recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, delves into one’s experience in emigration.
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s life was marked by a series of challenges, including exile from homeland, the hardships of adapting to a new culture, and the creative struggles that ensued. The composer’s profound connection to his motherland was so enduring that, despite spending over a quarter of a century abroad, Rachmaninoff composed only six musical pieces during this period.

The events unfolding since February 2022 have compelled a significant number of individuals, reminiscent of a century ago, to depart their homeland in pursuit of a new life. These profound and unsettling occurrences, drawing parallels with the wave of migration that Sergei Rachmaninoff himself experienced, inspired composer Teodor Doré to craft variations on Rachmaninoff’s compositions. Doré has sought to envision how Rachmaninoff's music might be heard today so this album delves into historical parallels and explores the deep sense of tragedy associated with displacement from one's motherland and the loss of meanings and
identity.

“Variations” are based on transcriptions of several preludes and romances for piano, violin, cello, academic vocals and Sufi traditional vocals.

Actors from Theatre.doc, who have also recently moved to London, read notes from Rachmaninoff's diaries and letters of contemporaries about the loss of homeland and meanings.

“Having lost my homeland, I lost myself. The exile, who has lost his musical roots, traditions and native soil, has no desire to create, no other consolation remains, except for the unbreakable silence of undisturbed memories".

Sergei Rachmaninoff