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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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 & Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Serge Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Horowitz, Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Léopold Stokowski, Albert Coates
Klassik - Erschienen bei Biddulph Recordings am 01.07.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Classical Music
Pyotr Illitch Tchaïkovski, Serge Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 09.10.2020
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Rachmaninoff plays Chopin
Klaviersolo - Erschienen bei RCA Gold Seal am 02.08.1993
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 (Recorded in 1929, Mono Version)
Serge Rachmaninoff, Philadelphia Orchestra, Léopold Stokowski
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1961
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Grandi Pianisti Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet, Franz Liszt, Serge Rachmaninoff
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 07.05.2021
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Sergei Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov, Schubert & Grieg / Recordings 1928 - 1940
Serge Rachmaninoff, Fritz Kreisler, The Philadephia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Classical Moments am 01.01.2010
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Happy Birthday, Mischa Maisky!
Mischa Maisky, Serge Rachmaninoff, Dimitri Chostakovitch
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 10.01.2023
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Rachmaninov - Shostakovich
Leonard Elschenbroich, Alexei Grynyuk
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Onyx Classics am 29.04.2013
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An Evening of Classical: Rachmaninoff
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 30.09.2022
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Russian Romance
Klassik - Erschienen bei Blue Griffin Recording am 07.08.2011
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Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 In e Minor, Op. 27 & Vocalise
Klassik - Erschienen bei RMS - Botnari am 17.01.2013
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Rachmaninov : Piano Works (vol. 1)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 15.03.2009
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Rachmaninov: Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Serge Rachmaninoff, Roland Pöntinen
Klassik - Erschienen bei EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE am 31.03.2023
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Vespers, Op. 37
Klassik - Erschienen bei Pipeline Music am 09.06.2006
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Concerto pour piano n° 3
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Claves Records am 01.06.2008
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Rachmaninov - Piano
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 25.11.2020
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Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op.30
Klassik - Erschienen bei Analekta am 18.02.1997
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Inspiration: Rachmaninoff
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 21.06.2021
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Rachmaninov: Moments Musicaux
Klassik - Erschienen bei Satirino Records am 05.05.2006
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Rachmaninoff: Autumn Nights
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 29.10.2022
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Grandi Pianisti Lazar Berman
Lazar Berman, Serge Rachmaninoff
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 18.06.2021
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