Sergei Rachmaninov

Daisies (Margaritki) is the third of Sergei Rachmaninov's Six Songs, Op. 38. While the manuscript of Daisies is undated, the songs around it all date from September 1916. Opus 38 is the only work that Rachmaninov completed in 1916, and its songs are among that last pieces of any kind that Rachmaninov composed before his self-imposed exile from Russia began in the fall of 1917.

The text of Daisies comes from a poem by the Ego-Futurist writer Igor Severyanin (1887 - 1941). It is one among several poems suggested to Rachmaninov by his friend "Re" (Marietta Shaginyan). In Severyanin's text, plentiful fields of daisies are likened to young women who emerge in the summertime -- "they display the Summer's power." Rachmaninov's sunny and bright setting presents a profound contrast to the black mood that possessed him in this season; he had recently lost his father, his cousin, and favorite rival Alexander Scriabin, and his beloved teacher Sergei Taneyev, all within a span of mere months. Also, a persistent headache began in his right temple that proved a mystery to all doctors whose advice Rachmaninov sought, and this condition would continue for the rest of his life. Obsessed with death, during the summer of 1916 Rachmaninov had his cards read by Marietta Shaginyan's mother, a fortuneteller, as he insisted on knowing how long he had to live.

One bright spot during these dark days was Rachmaninov's relationship with 20-year-old soprano Nina Koshetz, who became the dedicatee of the Six Songs, Op. 38. The premiere of Daisies and the other songs was given in a concert in Moscow by Koshetz and Rachmaninov on October 24, 1916. Composer and critic Joel Engel wrote "Rachmaninov's approach to setting these new poetic forms to music seems to have been the right solution: rather than merely imitating the style of composers who have already set this poetry, he has brought out from himself his own unique and individual evocation of these lyrics."

Rachmaninov would continue briefly to appear with Koshetz, but would not enjoy her continued attention over time. Late in 1916, Rachmaninov was angered that she signed up with a management agency without consulting him, and broke off contact. He also rescinded dedication of the Etudes Tableaux, Op. 39, also intended for Koshetz. However, there was a deeper meaning behind all of this; simply that of all Rachmaninov's extramarital adventures, the one with Nina Koshetz posed the greatest threat to his marriage, and word of it had begun to spread among his detractors. Rachmaninov and Koshetz had little contact after 1916, but she continued to be associated with Daisies and the other Op. 38 songs for years afterward, and in 1939 recorded this and other Rachmaninov songs for music publisher Schirmer's short-lived record label. In 1938 Rachmaninov arranged Daisies as a piano solo, and recorded it himself in 1941, near the end of his life.