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
-
Sunset Rhapsody Remastered, Vol. 2
Serge Rachmaninoff, Darren Ray Thorn
Classical - Released by Thorn Entertainment on 14 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Russian Music Society presents: 100th Anniversary Of The Great Hall Of Moscow Conservatoire, conductor Yuri Simonov (Live)
Classical - Released by Russian Music Society on 22 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandes Exitos de la Música Clásica: Festival Ruso
Classical - Released by JamadaClassics on 15 Sep 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Frederick Moyer: Early Recordings, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by JRI Recordings on 5 Dec 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise (Arr. for Cello and Piano by Leonard Rose)
Raiff Dantas Barreto, Anastasiya Evsina
Classical - Released by Azul Music on 29 Mar 2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Study Pictures, Op.39 No.6 Allegro in A minor (2024 Remaster)
Classical - Released by Pastel Records Canada on 20 May 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Schubert, vol. 5
Serge Rachmaninoff, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Million Dollar Trio
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on 7 May 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Rachmaninoff (Remastered)
Miscellaneous - Released by Classic Records Ltd. on 27 Apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto No. 2 and No. 3
Classical - Released by CTS Digital on 26 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Sir Georg Solti, London Symphony Orchestra, Julius Katchen
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 14 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini & Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Tune
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult, Julius Katchen
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 2 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Julius Katchen
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 14 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1
Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Katin
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 10 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Byron Janis
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 1 Jan 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov, Richter & Gould Wish You a Merry Christmas
Serge Rachmaninoff, Richter & Gould
Classical - Released by Blue Moon Recordings on 8 Oct 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos
Serge Rachmaninoff, Philadelphia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Discover Classical Music on 4 Jul 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
The Sinfonia of London, Marcus Dods, Joseph Cooper
Concertos - Released by Violet Hill Records on 20 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World of John McCormack, Vol. 2
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Sunday Club Records on 25 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Violin Legend: Fritz Kreisler, Vol. 9
Fritz Kreisler, Serge Rachmaninoff
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 1 Feb 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo