The great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov wrote his symphonic poem ‘The Isle of the Dead’ in the early months of 1909. At that time, he was at the peak of his success, but the way in which he came to compose it is quite curious.

The composer dedicated the work to his friend Nikolaj Struve (pictured here on the left). The symphonic poem is one of the masterpieces of the Russian author, and describes in a vivid and effective way the boat landing on that island which greatly struck his imagination. However, the paintings by Böcklin, Rachmaninov never saw in person. He was deeply impressed by a reproduction of it. A copy of the painting that, however, was in black and white.

Perhaps this was precisely the determining factor for his inspiration, if what he said to his writer friend Marietta Shaginyan is entirely true, namely that he did not easily manage joyful and bright colors. The black and white probably pushed him to fill in with his personal sensitivity the events related to the massive depiction, about which he said

The first time I saw only a copy of Böcklin’s remarkable painting in Dresden. The massive composition and the mystical subject of this painting made a great impression on me, and it determined the atmosphere of the poem. Later I saw the original painting in Berlin. In color, it did not particularly excite me. Had I seen the original first, perhaps I would not have composed my Isle of the Dead. I prefer the painting in black and white.

Reported by Eero Tarasti in “Semiotics of Classical Music: How Mozart, Brahms and Wagner Talk to Us,” Walter de Gruyter, 2012, p. 385.

Although Rachmaninov refused to publish a listening guide for the symphonic poem, some sort of guide for the listener, the magical element inspired by Böcklin’s painting (which also inspired, among others, the composer Max Reger in 1913 with Four Musical Poems) comes through splendidly, so as to highlight in the mind and heart of the listener a story that, full of magic and narrative force, alternates between events of death and love.

So Enrico Girardi, a musicologist from Milan, briefly describes the musical progression of the poem:

The static dynamics of the water, for example, can be discerned right from the opening of the curtain in the persistent patterns of the harp, low strings, bass clarinet, horns, and timpani; the lapping of the boat moved by the oars of the psychopomp Charon is rendered by a rhythm in 5/4; the pedals suggest the calmness of the scene. And above all, the contrast between life and death is represented on one hand by the presence of the Gregorian Dies Irae motif, so dear to the Russian musician (he had used it extensively in all four movements of the First Symphony and would use it again in the Symphonic Dances), and on the other hand, by the irruption of a magnificent, rapacious theme of marked expressive intensity, which seems to represent a joyful memory of life before succumbing to the powerful dominion of death.

This translation is from flaminioonline.it

Therefore, all that remains is for you to surrender to the music and let your imagination carry you away. However, right after, you cannot miss reading ‘The Isle of the Dead,’ my new novel finally available for the Anglophone market as well.