This piece was composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1915 for high voice and piano accompaniment. It is a song without words, sung using a single vowel. Without lyrics the song takes a personal meaning according to personal experience and interpretation. But at the same time, the song is considered by many listeners as a voice of someone who feels sad, trapped in an ill-fated situation. According to critic Richard Wright, " as a metaphor for nostalgia, homesickness and erotic yearning, nothing says it better".
Despite its apparent simplicity, with the same tune repeating all over again, this music has been composed with a lot of mastery and has the following trick: there is no beginning and no end when you hear it. Just when a phrase is about to end, it continues to flow and becomes a beginning again. In this way, you feel suspended throughout the piece, just like holding your breath or being in a situation from which you can not escape. If you try to sing along or even remember it, you realise it is not easy, the melody somehow manages to get away from you and is not as simple as you originally thought.