Rachmaninoff Variation 18 from Paganini Rhapsody - Easy Piano Arrangement

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Variation 18, Andante cantabile, from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

PDF Sheet music, piano solo
Simple Solutions piano arrangement by Henrik Kilhamn

Approximate Grade: 5
Scale 1 - 8: Beginner - Advanced

Key: Easy key C major + Original key D-flat major included

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is informally known as Rachmaninoff’s 5th piano concerto as it features the piano as a solo instrument. After adventuring with some very virtuosic textures for 17 variations, he is supposed to have said about Variation 18: “I wrote it for my agent”, meaning he knew it was a crowd-pleaser! But I think he didn’t know just how big a hit it would be, loved for generations to come, as a perfect musical moment of passionate swellings back and forth. This arrangement is very far from the original solo piano part which is basically only adding a pianistic flavor to the strings texture; here instead we get to play that beautiful melody over an accompaniment nevertheless pianistically conceived.

This arrangement is included in Simple Solutions Volume 4 - An Orchestral Orchard (Intermediate ~ Grade 4-5)

Also, check out:
Simple Solutions Volume 1 (Elementary ~ Grade 3)
Simple Solutions Volume 2 (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)
Simple Solutions Volume 3: Nights & Dreams (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

ABOUT SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

The Simple Solutions series came from the idea that even not-professionally trained pianists should be able to enjoy the feeling of playing great music from the piano repertoire with their own hands. This is possible with some clever rearranging of the musical material: reducing the range of independent voices and jumps while preserving core ideas of melody and rhythm. In this easier setting, you will instead have enough time on your hands (literally!) to bring the music to life and care about those aspect that often otherwise come second: phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and balance. This will help you develop your over-all musicality, which will be of great value in all other pieces as well.

In the end, if you feel ready for a challenge and want to go forward with proper piano studies that requires years of practice – you can always move on to more advanced arrangements or original piano compositions. They will always be there. In the meantime, these arrangements will bring you close to the same enjoyment as the full versions, because all musical ideas are carefully conserved.

They are just a little bit easier.

The arrangement comes in two versions: both transposed to an easier key signature as well as kept in the original key.

The "Easy Key" transposed version is recommended for the most comfortable Simple Solutions experience. It's much easier to read notes without many sharps or flats, which frees up a lot of attention for all other musical aspects solely at a cost if you have perfect pitch. The version in original key serves the purpose of constituting a proper stepping stone if you wish to continue with the original version / more advanced arrangements in some capacity later on.