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Composed in 1913 to Konstantin Balmont's free adaptation in Russian of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells (Kolokola in Russian), was one of Rachmaninoff's favorites among his own works. Balmont's Russian setting was sent to the composer by an anonymous admirer while he was in Rome. Rachmaninoff often referred to the work as a "choral symphony" and even for a short time as his "Third Symphony". Composed at the same desk used by Tchaikovsky in Rome, the piece has some parallels with the works of the earlier Russian master - notably the Pathétique Symphony and The Queen of Spades. Rachmaninoff conducted the premiere himself in Moscow on February 8, 1913. This new large-size vocal score is a digitally-enhanced reissue of the original 1920 Gutheil score transcribed by the composer's friend Alexander Goldenweiser. Unlike so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages and the images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.
