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- Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music.
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- Versatile talent. Sergei Rachmaninoff initially made his name as a great composer, but he was equally great as a pianist and conductor, too. “I’ve never been able to figure out what my true vocation is, who I am - a composer, pianist or conductor...
- Music background. Born on April 1, 1873, into an aristocratic family, Rachmaninov began playing the piano at the age of four. Apparently, music was in his blood.
- Great sense of humor. One of the greatest violinists of all time, Fritz Kreisler, once performed a Cesar Franck’s sonata with Sergei Rachmaninoff at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
- Huge pair of hands. “Rachmaninoff was created from steel and gold: steel in his hands and gold in his heart,” the genius Polish piano player Josef Hofmann once famously remarked.
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff [a] [b] (1 April [ O.S. 20 March] 1873 – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music.
- Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor, Op.18
- Sonata For Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op.19
- 10 Preludes, Op.23
- Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op.27
- The Isle of The Dead, Op.29
- Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30
- Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
- The Bells, Op.35
- All-Night Vigil, Op.37
- Rhapsody on A Theme of Paganini, Op.43
Following the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony Rachmaninov composed almost nothing for around three years. He sought help from a hypnotherapist and his comeback piece, the Piano Concerto No 2, dedicated to his hypnotherapist, is one of the greatest works in the piano repertoire. The concerto opens with a steadily intensifying series of pia...
After the success of his Op.18 Rachmaninov threw himself into his work. This fine cello sonata appeared not long after the Second Piano Concerto’sconfidence-restoring premiere, its magical ‘Andante’ at times reminiscent of the earlier work’s ‘Adagio’. In the sonata, however, the music feels less at ease, more delicately poised between hope and desp...
Rachmaninov composed 24 piano preludes: one in each major and minor key. The famous C sharp minor Preludecame first, in 1892; the complete Op.23 set followed 11 years later, and the final 13 preludes arrived in 1910. The set of ten Op.23 preludes range widely in mood. Alongside the mysterious opener and the yearning No.4 (with shades of Chopin) are...
The premiere of Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony took place in St Petersburg, the scene of the First Symphonyfiasco. But this time, with Rachmaninov on the podium (rather than a probably drunk Glazunov), things went to plan and the symphony, one of Rachmaninov’s best works, went on to become an audience favourite. Highlights include the athletic ‘Sche...
The Isle Of The Deadwas inspired by an Arnold Böcklin painting in which Charon, the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology, is seen rowing a coffin across to a spooky island. Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem opens with a repeated five-in-a-bar figure, perhaps representing Charon’s oars pulling through the water. Over the top we hear fragments of the D...
Rachmaninov wrote this concerto for a US tour, using a silent keyboard to learn the piano part on the boat crossing. This, the third piano concerto, is recognizably by the same composer as the second, although it’s longer, more intense, and even tougher to play. The opening piano melody is reasonably laid back, but before long sparks begin to fly. ...
Rachmaninov’s Op.34 consists of 14 songs for voice and piano. Numbers one to 13 employ texts by a selection of big-name Russian poets. Vocalise, on the other hand, is wordless: the performer sings the same vowel sound throughout. This poignant song without words, one of the best Rachmaninov works, has captured the attention of countless composers a...
Rachmaninov’s superb choral symphony is a setting of a Russian adaptation of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. The poem is handily divided into four sections, focusing on birth, marriage, terror, and death respectively. In turn, each of these life experiences is associated with a type of bell: silver, gold, brass and iron. In the first movement, Rachmanin...
This setting of the Russian Orthodox All-Night Vigil service is scored for unaccompanied choir, with tenor and alto soloists. In nine of the 15 movements, Rachmaninov makes use of traditional Orthodox chants: simple, single-line melodies. The rich harmonies, however, are the composer’s own throughout. He writes for the choir with great freedom: at ...
The last of Nicolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices For Solo Violinhas provided the basis for music by many other composers, including Brahms, Liszt, Lutosławski and Szymanowski (as well as Benny Goodman and Andrew Lloyd-Webber). Rachmaninov’s tribute to his fellow composer-performer is a set of variations for piano and orchestra and is one of Rachmaninov’s ...
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 has one of the most sublime melodies of any piano concerto ever written in its first movement.
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto is widely described as the greatest piano concerto ever written. And listeners of Classic FM tend to agree, voting it right at the top of the Classic FM Hall of Fame every year.
- Vocalise. Even though Rachmaninov’s short piece, Vocalise, was written for solo voice and orchestra originally, it is a song without lyrics. Instead, the singer can opt to perform the sublime melody through any vowel of their choosing.
- Vespers (All-Night Vigil) Rachmaninov’s Vespers, also titled All-Night Vigil, was composed in 1915 and is among the composer’s more introspective works.
4 days ago · Sergey Rachmaninoff was a composer who was the last great figure of the tradition of Russian Romanticism and a leading piano virtuoso of his time. He is especially known for his piano concerti and the piece for piano and orchestra titled Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934).
Guides. Rachmaninov: 15 facts about the great composer. A brilliant pianist, conductor and composer, Rachmaninov wrote a piano concerto that has become the nation's favourite piece of classical music. 1. A young, musical genius. Sergei Rachmaninov was born on 1 April 1873 in Semyonovo, north-west Russia.
Jun 7, 2021 · Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 5 min read. Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff was one of the most consequential musicians of classical music's Romantic period.
