This masterful transcription has the distinction of being Rachmaninov's last work. Like most of his efforts in this genre, his adaptation is fairly faithful to the spirit of the original song. Yet he adds some harmonies derived from the thematic material and provides a few other decorative features to the melody lines, in the end imparting enough of his own flavors to this attractive dish to make it sound more like his work than Tchaikovsky's. The piece opens with the melancholy melody of Tchaikovsky divided between the upper and middle registers. Its sad, lovely manner perfectly plays into Rachmaninov's own gloomy musical persona, the mood dreamy but darkly forlorn. The brighter variant that follows this theme allows beams of sunshine in, but on both its appearances quickly yields back to the dominance of the sad main theme. On its final appearance, Rachmaninov gives this melody an ethereal glow, especially in the harp-like writing that comes just before the closing phrases. This transcription typically has a duration of four to five minutes.

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