Serge Rachmaninoff
Sergey Rachmaninov was the last, great representative of the Russian Romantic tradition as a composer, but was also a widely and highly celebrated pianist of his time. His piano concertos, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and his preludes famously test pianists' skills. His Symphony No. 2, the tone poem Isle of the Dead, and his Cello Sonata are also notable. The passionate melodies and rich harmonies of his music have been called the perfect accompaniment for love scenes, but in a greater sense they explore a range of emotions with intense and compelling expression.
Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, born in Semyonovo, Russia, on April 1, 1873, came from a music-loving, land-owning family; young Sergey's mother fostered the boy's innate talent by giving him his first piano lessons. After a decline in the family fortunes, the Rachmaninovs moved to St. Petersburg, where Sergey studied with Vladimir Delyansky at the Conservatory. As his star continued to rise, Sergey went to the Moscow Conservatory, where he received a sound musical training: piano lessons from the strict disciplinarian Nikolay Zverev and Alexander Siloti (Rachmaninov's cousin), counterpoint with Taneyev, and harmony with Arensky. During his time at the Conservatory, Rachmaninov boarded with Zverev, whose weekly musical Sundays provided the young musician the valuable opportunity to make important contacts and to hear a wide variety of music.
As Rachmaninov's conservatory studies continued, his burgeoning talent came into full flower; he received the personal encouragement of Tchaikovsky, and, a year after earning a degree in piano, took the Conservatory's gold medal in composition for his opera Aleko (1892). Early setbacks in his compositional career -- particularly, the dismal reception of his Symphony No. 1 (1895) -- led to an extended period of depression and self-doubt, which he overcame with the aid of hypnosis. With the resounding success of his Piano Concerto No. 2 (1900-1901), however, his lasting fame as a composer was assured. The first decade of the 20th century proved a productive and happy one for Rachmaninov, who during that time produced such masterpieces as the Symphony No. 2 (1907), the tone poem Isle of the Dead (1907), and the Piano Concerto No. 3 (1909). On May 12, 1902, the composer married his cousin, Natalya Satina.
By the end of the decade, Rachmaninov had embarked on his first American tour, which cemented his fame and popularity in the United States. He continued to make his home in Russia but left permanently following the Revolution in 1917; he thereafter lived in Switzerland and the United States between extensive European and American tours. While his tours included conducting engagements (he was twice offered, and twice refused, leadership of the Boston Symphony Orchestra), it was his astounding pianistic abilities which won him his greatest glory. Rachmaninov was possessed of a keyboard technique marked by precision, clarity, and a singular legato sense. Indeed, the pianist's hands became the stuff of legend. He had an enormous span -- he could, with his left hand, play the chord C-E flat-G-C-G -- and his playing had a characteristic power, which pianists have described as "cosmic" and "overwhelming." He is, for example, credited with the uncanny ability to discern, and articulate profound, mysterious movements in a musical composition which usually remain undetected by the superficial perception of rhythmic structures.
Fortunately for posterity, Rachmaninov recorded much of his own music, including the four piano concerti and what is perhaps his most beloved work, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934). He became an American citizen a few weeks before his death in Beverly Hills, CA, on March 28, 1943.
© Michael Rodman, Patsy Morita /TiVo
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Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas 1 & 2
Clásica - Editado por Onyx Classics el 19 may. 2017
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Russian Romance
Clásica - Editado por Blue Griffin Recording el 7 ago. 2011
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Rachmaninov : Piano Works (vol. 1)
Clásica - Editado por Naxos el 15 mar. 2009
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Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 In e Minor, Op. 27 & Vocalise
Clásica - Editado por RMS - Botnari el 17 ene. 2013
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Rachmaninoff: The Four Piano Concertos; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Clásica - Editado por RCA Gold Seal el 2 ago. 1993
Discoteca Ideal Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vespers, Op. 37
Clásica - Editado por Pipeline Music el 9 jun. 2006
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Concerto pour piano n° 3
Música concertante - Editado por Claves Records el 1 jun. 2008
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Grandi Pianisti Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet, Franz Liszt, Serge Rachmaninoff
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 7 may. 2021
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Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30
Clásica - Editado por Analekta el 18 feb. 1997
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Inspiration: Rachmaninoff
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 21 jun. 2021
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Rachmaninoff: Autumn Nights
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 29 oct. 2022
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Grandi Pianisti Lazar Berman
Lazar Berman, Serge Rachmaninoff
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 18 jun. 2021
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Works
Clásica - Editado por Russian Compact Disc el 21 may. 2021
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Rachmaninov: Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Serge Rachmaninoff, Roland Pöntinen
Clásica - Editado por EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE el 31 mar. 2023
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Piano Concerto No. 1 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 1 - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Música sinfónica - Editado por RHI el 11 nov. 2015
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Rachmaninoff: Solo Piano Recordings, Vol. 5
Clásica - Editado por Naxos el 13 jul. 2018
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Bach, Mozart & Others: Works
Serge Rachmaninoff, Fritz Kreisler
Clásica - Editado por Russian Compact Disc el 19 jun. 2020
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Two Pianos
Música de cámara - Editado por NOVA Record el 1 ago. 2020
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Enregistrements d'œuvres pour piano seul (volume 3)
Clásica - Editado por Naxos el 13 nov. 2012
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Rachmaninoff: Great Works for Solo Piano & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Clásica - Editado por Nimbus Records el 3 abr. 2001
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Plays Sergei Rachmaninov, Vol. 2
Clásica - Editado por Académie el 7 may. 2010
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