There are 15 songs in Rachmaninov's Op. 26 set, making it his largest. When yesterday we met is one of the more widely performed among them, though Christ is risen (No. 6), Before my window (No. 10), and Night is mournful (No. 12) surpass it in popularity. It is a setting of a text by Russian poet Yakov Polonsky (1819—1898), whose works also attracted the attention of Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, Cui, and other Russian composers. The text tells of a man's chance encounter with a former lover, providing the kind of subject matter to the melancholy, Romantic muse of Rachmaninov that drew out the best in him. The song opens with a yearning, soaring theme that wallows in regret and a sense of loss. The piano accompaniment is mostly comprised of chords, whose tolling manner reinforce the dark feeling of tragedy. Toward the end, the singer seems to cry out in anguish, Rachmaninov sounding as emotional here as in any of his other compositions. And is there yet another allusion at the end to that ubiquitous theme in the composer's works, the Dies Irae? This is a powerful and masterful creation that will be appreciated by most vocal music enthusiasts. This song typically has a duration of just over three minutes.

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