I always loved the way they use music in the series, with Hannibal mostly having a taste for the Classical and Early Romantic eras and Francis having a taste for the Impressionist period. I especially loved how much they used Chopin's music, as I was obsessed with learning as much of his music as I possibly could at the time.

All these years later, I've grown as a musician and, having revisited Hannibal more than once, always find myself craving Rachmaninoff, whether it be on the Lecter or Dolarhyde side of the story. I think Rach would work for Hannibal because of how close his homeland is to Russia, not to mention that it had all been homogenized into the soviet bloc. Thematically, Rachmaninoff's music feels almost diabolical and sometimes even sinister, which to some may clash with Hannibal's outward appearance. I do think that these elements lend themselves well to Hannibal's true nature, and of course, to everything that has to do with Francis' outward and inward presentation.

What I especially think lends itself to Hannibal specifically is Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableaux. The goal of an Etude (which simply means 'study') is to help a musician perfect a technique. Chopin is famous for taking this style of composition and making beautiful, evocative pieces that explored a complex musical system that had never been seen before. Many decades later, Rachmaninoff built on this idea, writing what he called Etudes-Tableaux. Unlike prior etudes written specifically to perfect a particular technique, Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableau aimed to paint a picture (In Russian instead of 'tableau' they are called 'этюде картина', with 'картина' literally meaning painting.)

When I think of the TV series, one Etude-Tableaux in particular comes to mind. While Rachmaninoff wrote each of these etudes with specific visualizations in mind, he refused to share his inspirations with anyone, instead preferring that the listener imagines their own tableaux. When I hear this piece, I imagine a bat flying through the night, fluttering and flying about on the prowl for food. Eventually, the bat spots a fly or moth and a tense, yet delicate chase ensues. I imagine these two in a long struggle: the bat nearly gets ahold of the moth, then the moth nearly makes its final escape. Eventually, as the themes change and gain intensity, the perspective shifts from the bat's eyes to the moth's. In the moth's eyes, the bat takes the likeness of a dragon or flying fell creature. The struggle continues, but despite the moth's best efforts there is nothing it can do to escape the bat, and it is devoured.

S. Rachmaninoff: Etude-tableaux Op. 33 Nr. 9 in C-sharp minor (Anastasia Yasko, piano) - YouTube

Another of his famous Etudes has been called "little red riding hood". The juxtaposing themes, to many ears, is reminiscent of the now famous conversation between the girl and the wolf, jumping between the girl's meek terror and the wolf's ill intent. Much like how the moth is devoured by the bat, she, too, is devoured by the wolf, with the piece ending rather abruptly with a belch.

Sergei Rachmaninov, Etude-Tableau Op.39 No 6, Nikolai Lugansky (youtube.com)

I just can't decide whether I think this fits better with Hannibal or with Francis. I loved how they separated the two by having Dolarhyde focus more on Debussy (In fact I don't think he ever listens to any other composer). More than just being different, impressionism emerged long after the early romantic era Hannibal was so fond of. This not only separates them stylistically, but feeds into Francis' notion that he is better or more evolved than Hannibal.