Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 is one of the most dramatic and powerful works ever written for piano. When I first heard it many years ago somewhere on YouTube, I was impressed by its emotional depth and unusual melody. I thought, what if I spent some time learning to play it myself?

Back then I was a self-taught amateur pianist with very limited skills and knowledge of music theory. I managed to memorise all the notes of the Prelude in about one year. Yet, I was far away from playing it adequately. I realised that this was a piece for professional pianists – I simply did not have the necessary technical skills and precision to play complex passages and constantly make rapid shifts. Without making much progress in mastering the Prelude, I lost a bit of interest and didn’t practice it much.

Then, a few years later, I came back to the Prelude and realised that I could understand it more deeply and play it better. I decided to push harder so that I could record this piece one day and share it without embarrassment. After countless weeks of practising, I can now play the famous Rachmaninoff's Prelude. This is a great achievement for me and another proof that anything is possible with dedication and time.

I was not alone in this journey. I would not have succeeded without the guidance of my piano teacher, Alexander Velikovskiy    / @alexandervelikovskiy  
Thank you, Alexander!

Andrey Churkin (Андрей Чуркин) 2024
https://andreychurkin.ru/