The Prelude Dave Malloy (Ft. Gabriel Ebert & Or Matias)

(Prelude in C# minor, op. 3, no. 2 begins. RACH goes to stop RACHMANINOFF.)

[DAHL]
No, let it play

(They listen a bit.)

Tell me about this piece

[RACH]
I wrote it when I was 19
I—I have no idea how I did it
I was in a practice room
At school
And I was just playing around in C# minor
C# minor is kind of the coolest key
It just feels really…dark and silken under the fingers
Like midnight
But a really sophisticated midnight
Sleek
And super ancient
Like, sci-fi ancient
And sneaky
And sensual
And rich