Рассказ о сергее рахманинове

Сергей Рахманинов — биография

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Первая известность пришла к нему еще в студенческие годы, когда он стал автором романсов, Первого фортепианного концерта и Прелюдии. Сергею Рахманинову удалось стать создателем своего особенного, неповторимого стиля, который прославил его на весь мир. Его произведения – это настоящая жемчужина классической музыки, которую он создал на основе петербургской и московской композиторских школ. Музыка Рахманинова вечна, она не стареет с годами, скорее, наоборот, приобретает новых и новых почитателей.

Детство

Родился Сергей Рахманинов 1 апреля 1873 года в деревне Семеново, недалеко от Новгорода. Детские годы мальчика прошли в родовом имении отца Василия Рахманинова — Онег. Отец принадлежал к дворянскому роду. Мама Любовь Рахманинова (в девичестве Бутакова) приходилась родной дочерью директору Аракчеевского кадетского корпуса. Способности к музыке передались мальчику по отцовской линии. Дед Сережи, Аркадий Рахманинов, известен как пианист, он давал концерты по всем городам России, зачастую выступал даже со своими собственными романсами и фортепианными пьесами. Ему принадлежит авторство пьесы для фортепиано в четыре руки под названием «Прощальный галоп 1869 году». Отец Сергея тоже имел недюжинные музыкальные способности, но соглашался играть только в дружеском кругу.

Сергей интересовался музыкой с ранних лет. Первым педагогом музыки для мальчика стала мама, которая и научила его нотной грамоте. Потом к нему приходила приглашенная пианистка, а в возрасте девяти лет мальчик стал учеником младшего класса Санкт-Петербургской консерватории. Эта самостоятельность в юном возрасте ни до чего хорошего не привела – в отсутствии контроля Сергей постоянно прогуливал занятия. Родители немедленно собрали семейный совет, где мальчишке пришлось объяснить родным причину такого поведения. Все оказалось просто, ему элементарно не хватило дисциплинированности и собранности. Тогда отец настоял на переводе сына в Москву, и вскоре Сергей продолжил обучение в пансионе для детей, имеющих музыкальные способности. За этими учениками осуществлялся постоянный надзор, они не отходили от инструмента на протяжении шести часов каждый день. Кроме этого их для них было обязательным посещение Оперного театра и Филармонии.

Рахманинов проучился в пансионе 4 года, но потом умудрился рассориться с наставником и бросить обучение.

Он не уехал из Москвы, продолжал жить у родственников. В 1888 году он снова поступил в Московскую консерваторию, только теперь на старшее отделение. Сергей вышел из ее стен в 19 лет, имея золотую медаль и два образования – пианиста и композитора. Еще будучи подростком, Рахманинов познакомился с Чайковским, который и помог юному дарованию добиться постановки оперы «Алеко» в Большом театре. За основу оперы Рахманинов взял произведения Александра Пушкина.

Трудовая биография Сергея началась вскоре после выпуска из консерватории. Его взяли в женский институт, где молодой гений учил барышень музыке. Не отказывался Сергей и от частных уроков, хотя преподавание не считал своим коньком. Спустя некоторое время его взяли дирижером в московский Большой театр, и в этом качестве он изучил весь русский репертуар этого очага культуры. Для озвучивания иностранных спектаклей в театр приняли еще одного дирижера – итальянца И.Альтани.

Эмиграция

После событий октября 1917 года, Рахманинов принял решение уехать из России. Он не был приверженцем революции и новой власти, поэтому не захотел оставаться в бушующей революционными страстями стране и эмигрировал, как только смог. В то время ему пришло приглашение выступить с концертом в Стокгольме, музыкант быстро им воспользовался, чтобы уже не вернуться.

По приезде в Европу, Рахманинов оказался без средств к существованию, потому что при выезде ему не разрешили взять с собой хоть какое-нибудь имущество и деньги. Он принял решение зарабатывать в качестве пианиста. Рахманинов начал давать постоянные концерты, поэтому вскоре раздал все долги и заработал себе невероятную популярность. В 1918 году Сергей садится на пароход, который доставил его в Нью-Йорк. Америка встретила его как настоящего героя и мировую звезду. В штатах Рахманинов снова гастролирует в качестве пианиста, иногда и дирижера.

До последних дней он продолжал концертную деятельность. Жители Америки готовы были сдувать с него пылинки, ему буквально не давали прохода толпы фотографов и журналистов.

Зачастую Рахманинов хитрил, чтобы хоть ненадолго побыть в одиночестве, а не под неусыпным присмотром папарацци. Он арендовал номер в гостинице, а сам предпочитал ночевать в личном вагоне на железной дороге. Таким образом, удавалось хоть ненадолго уйти от назойливых репортеров.

Произведения

Первая слава пришла к Рахманинову в студенческие годы. Когда он стал автором Первого фортепианного концерта, тогда о нем всерьез заговорили в Москве. После написания Прелюдии до-диез минор и множества романсов, его имя зазвучало еще громче. Сергею прочили большое будущее. Однако вскоре удачный старт в карьере был нарушен провалом Первой симфонии. После того, как она прозвучала в концертном зале Санкт-Петербурга, композитора критиковали все, кто только мог. О нем писали разгромные лицензии, даже не вспоминая его былые успехи. Почти три года Рахманинов не мог себя заставить хоть что-то написать, у него случилась затяжная депрессия, во время которой он практически не вставал с дивана. Тогда ему здорово помог врач-гипнотизер, который вывел его из критического состояния.

После такого длительного перерыва, в 1901-м Сергей осмелился представить свое новое детище – «Второй фортепианный концерт». Его по праву считают величайшим произведением классической музыки. Для современных музыкантов он стал источником для создания собственных композиций. Методику великого композитора из России использовали в своем творчестве Фредди Меркьюри, Фрэнк Синатра, Селин Дион, группа «Muse».

Просто невероятные эмоции зашкаливали после звучания симфонической поэмы «Остров мертвых», «Симфонии №2», которая пользовалась грандиозным успехом у слушателей, чего не скажешь о первой симфонии. Полюбилась публике и «Соната для фортепиано №2», которая отличалась очень сложной структурой. Здесь композитор воспользовался эффектом диссонанса и сделал его применение максимальным. Особое место в творчестве Рахманинова занимает невероятно красивое произведение «Вокализ». Оно стало частью сборника под названием «Четырнадцать песен», но зачастую его исполняют отдельно, чтобы показать уровень мастерства исполнителя. В настоящее время появились версии этого произведения для голоса, скрипки, фортепиано и еще нескольких  инструментов.

Вплоть до 1926 года композитор не написал ни единого значительного произведения. Многие знакомые были уверены, что это связано с тоской по родине. Наконец, в 1927-м он стал автором Концерта для фортепиано с оркестром №4 и нескольких русских песен. В последние годы своего земного существования Сергей написал только три произведения, и все они стали вершиной русской и мировой музыки. Это были «Симфония №3», «Рапсодия на тему Паганини для фортепиано с оркестром» и «Симфонические танцы».

Личная жизнь

Сергея Рахманинова характеризовали как очень влюбчивого человека, который не раз отвечал взаимностью своим поклонницам. Скорее всего, именно эта личная эмоциональность помогла в написании лирических романсов, которые проникали глубоко в душу. В семнадцатилетнем возрасте среди его знакомых появились сестры Скалон. Особенно композитору понравилась Вера, и он стал называть ее Верочкой или «моей психопатушкой». Чувства молодых людей были взаимными, но исключительно платоническими. Именно Вере посвящена композиция «В молчанье ночи тайной», вторая часть Первого концерта для фортепиано и романс для виолончели и фортепиано.

После отъезда в Москву, Рахманинов забрасывает любимую огромным количеством писем, в которых все слова о любви. До нашего времени сохранилось почти сотня таких посланий. Но, в то же время он пылает страстью к Анне Лодыженской, жене своего товарища. Именно ей он посвятил один из самых красивых романсов – «О нет, молю, не уходи!», который стал классикой жанра.

Свою будущую супругу – Наталью Сатину, композитор встретил намного раньше. Ее родителями были те родственники, у которых жил Рахманинов, когда бросил пансион.

Понимание того, что это любовь, приходит к Сергею в 1893-м году. Именно в это время он создает еще один свой романс, посвященный любимой девушке – «Не пой, красавица, при мне». Перемены в личной жизни композитора наступили через 9 лет, когда он официально женился на Наталье. В 1894 году родилась их первая дочь Ирина. Вторая дочка Татьяна родилась у супругов в 1907-м.

Однако семейного счастья любвеобильному композитору показалось мало, он влюбляется в молодую певицу Нину Кошиц, которая на некоторое время становится его «музой».  Однако во всех гастрольных поездках с ним рядом была супруга, которую Сергей ласково звал «добрым гением всей жизни».

Постоянным местом жительства для Рахманинова стала Америка, хотя он достаточно часто посещал Швейцарию. Там композитор сумел построить великолепную виллу «Сенар», окна которой были обращены к горе Пилатус и Фирвальдштетскому озеру. Вилла получила свое название неслучайно, в нем заключалась аббревиатура имен супругов – Сергей и Наталья Рахманиновы.

Дом стал тем местом, где композитор смог реализовать свои познания в технике, к которой питал особую любовь. Он был оснащен лифтом, игрушечной железной дорогой и даже пылесосом, похвастаться которым могли лишь избранные.  Рахманинов даже имел патент на свое изобретение. Он стал создателем муфты, к которой присоединялась грелка, чтобы перед началом концерта пианисты могли согреть озябшие руки. Сергей любил автомобили, в его гараже можно было найти «Континенталь» или «Кадиллак». Причем машина менялась каждый год.

Нельзя не вспомнить о том, насколько Рахманинов любил свою родину и был ее патриотом. За границей он постоянно тосковал о доме, поэтому у него были исключительно русские друзья, русская прислуга и русские книги. Однако возврат он не планировал, потому что категорически отвергал Советскую власть. Но когда СССР подвергся нападению фашистской Германии, Рахманинов серьезно запаниковал. Все деньги, которые он зарабатывал на концертах, композитор перечислял фонду Красной армии. На его пожертвования смогли собрать боевой самолет. Он призывал и других эмигрантов следовать его примеру.

Смерть

На протяжении всей жизни Рахманинов не расставался с сигаретой. Возможно, именно курение привело к тому, что в преклонном возрасте у него начала развиваться меланома. Сам композитор даже не подозревал, что страдает онкологией, он трудился до самого конца. За шесть недель до смерти, он выступил в Штатах с грандиозным концертом, не подозревая, что этот выход на сцену станет последним в его жизни.

Величайший из российских композиторов умер 28 марта 1943 года в собственной квартире в Беверли-Хиллз. До юбилейной даты – 70-летия, оставалось всего три дня.

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Сергей Рахманинов. Детство и юность

Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов родился в 1873 году. Будущий великий композитор и музыкант был потомственным русским дворянином. Его произведения были известны на Родине и стали «символом русской музыки» за рубежом (последние годы жизни музыкант провел в Америке). Его сложная судьба, искания, духовный опыт со взлетами и падениями нашли отражение в его произведениях и манере исполнения.

Сергей Рахманинов родился в Новгородской губернии. Вся его семья любила музыку: дед был учеником известного композитора Джона Фильда, до сих пор сохранились музыкальные произведения его авторства. Отец тоже музицировал, хоть и не был профессиональным исполнителем. Мать Рахманинова, Любовь, дочь генерала Бутакова сама давала сыну первые музыкальные уроки. В детстве Сергей Рахманинов переехал в Петербург вместе с семьей и поступил в Петербургскую консерваторию.

Известно, что сначала молодой Рахманинов несерьезно относился к занятиям, прогуливал, но позже познакомился со своим двоюродным братом — юным пианистам Зилоти, который убедил родителей Рахманинова, что у него есть талант, надо отправить сына учиться в Москву к Николаю Звереву. Так Рахманинов продолжил обучение в Московской консерватории, где учился уже усердно, а его дипломную работу — оперу «Алеко» рекомендовали к постановке в Большом театре.

Первая неудача

Сергей Рахманинов был не только пианистом и композитором, его знали как прекрасного дирижера. Несмотря на провал исполнения Первой симфонии в Петербурге, разгромные рецензии и депрессию, он продолжил заниматься музыкой. Хотя после того случая несколько нет не сочинял музыку и пребывал в подавленном состоянии. В 1901 году Сергей Рахманинов написал Второй фортепианный концерт. Это вернуло его к творческой жизни, помогло справиться с депрессией, снова сделало любимцем публики.

Рахманинов путешествовал по Европе, Америке и Канаде с концертами в качестве дирижера, позже работал в самом Большом театре на протяжении нескольких сезонов. В 1902 году Рахманинов женился и стал отцом двух дочерей Татьяны и Ирины.

Эмиграция и успех

После революции 1917 года Рахманинову пришлось покинуть Россию. Он оставил здесь всё, уезжал с долгами. Революция стала трагедией семьи Рахманинова. Сергей Васильевич продолжил играть, выступать с концертами. Его любила европейская публика и высоко ценили в Америке. Сам великий композитор и музыкант тяжело переживал вынужденную эмиграцию. Он писал, что потерял себя, когда уехал.

«Уехав из России, я потерял желание сочинять. Лишившись родины, я потерял самого себя…».

В 1926 году он начал работу над Четвертым концертом и русскими песнями. Несмотря на отношение к Советской власти, Рахманинов скучал по дому. Одним из последних произведений Рахманинова стали «Симфонические танцы», критики называют это также и лучшим произведение композитора. Рахманинов выступал до самого конца. Свой завершающий концерт, он дал за 6 недель до смерти. Композитор умер в 1943-ем году, не дожив до своего 70-летнего юбилея лишь несколько дней. Он похоронен на кладбище в Нью-Йорке рядом с могилами его жены и дочери.

Произведения по опусам

Op. 1.		Первый концерт для фортепиано с оркестром. Посв. А. И. Зилоти. 1891.
Op. 2.		Две пьесы для виолончели и фортепиано. Посв. А. А. Брандукову. 1892. 1. Прелюдия. 2. Восточный танец.
Op. 3.		Пять пьес-фантазий для фортепиано. Посв. А. С. Аренскому. 1892. 1. Элегия. 2. Прелюдия. 3. Мелодия. 4. Полишинель. 5. Серенада.
Op. 4.		Шесть романсов. 1889–1893. 1. «О, нет, молю, не уходи» (Мережковский). Посв. А. А. Лодыженской. 2. «Утро» (Янов). Посв. Ю. С. Сахновскому. 3. «В молчаньи ночи тайной» (Фет). Посв. В. Д. Скалон. 4. «Не пой, красавица» (Пушкин). Посв. Н. А. Сатиной. 5. «Уж ты, нива моя» (А. Толстой). Посв. Е. Н. Лысиковой. 6. «Давно ль, мой друг» * (Голенищев-Кутузов). Посв. О. А. Голенищевой-Кутузовой.
Op. 5.		Фантазия (Картины). Первая сюита для 2-х фортепиано в 4 руки. Посв. П. И. Чайковскому. 1893. 1. Баркарола. 2. И ночь, и любовь. 3. Слёзы. 4. Светлый праздник.
Op. 6.		Две пьесы для скрипки и фортепиано. Посв. Ю. Конюсу. 1893. 1. Романс. 2. Венгерский танец.
Op. 7.		Фантазия («Утёс»). Для оркестра. 1893.
Op. 8.		Шесть романсов. 1893. 1. «Речная лилея» (Плещеев — из Гейне). Посв. А. А. Ярошевскому. 2. «Дитя, как цветок ты прекрасна» (Плещеев — из Гейне). Посв. М. А. Слонову. 3. «Дума» (Плещеев — из Шевченко). Посв. Л. Г. Яковлеву. 4. «Полюбила я на печаль свою» (Плещеев — из Шевченко). Посв. М. В. Олферьевой. 5. «Сон» (Плещеев — из Гейне). Посв. Н. Д. Скалон. 6. «Молитва» (Плещеев — из Гёте). Посв. М. А. Дейша-Сионицкой.
Op. 9.		Элегическое трио для скрипки, виолончели и фортепиано. Памяти великого художника [П. И. Чайковского]. 1893.
Op. 10.		Семь салонных пьес для фортепиано. Посв. П. А. Пабсту. 1894. 1. Ноктюрн. 2. Вальс. 3. Баркарола. 4. Мелодия. 5. Юмореска. 6. Романс. 7. Мазурка.
Op. 11.		Шесть пьес для фортепиано в 4 руки. 1894. 1. Баркарола. 2. Скерцо. 3. Русская песня. 4. Вальс. 5. Романс. 6. Слава.
Op. 12.		Каприччио на цыганские темы для оркестра. Посв. П. Лодыженскому. 1894.
Op. 13.		Первая симфония для оркестра. Посв. А. Л. 1895.
Op. 14.		Двенадцать романсов. 1896. 1. «Я жду тебя» (Давидова). Посв. Л. Д. Скалон. 2. «Островок» (Бальмонт). Посв. С. А. Сатиной. 3. «Давно в любви» (Фет). Посв. З. А. Прибытковой. 4. «Я был у ней» (Кольцов). Посв. Ю. С. Сахновскому. 5. «Эти летние ночи» (Ратгауз). Посв. М. И. Гутхейль. 6. «Тебя так любят все» (А. Толстой). Посв. А. Н. Ивановскому. 7. «Не верь мне, друг» (А. Толстой). Посв. А. Г. Клокачёвой. 8. «О, не грусти» (Апухтин). Посв. Н. А. Александровой. 9. «Она, как полдень, хороша» (Минский). Посв. Е. А. Лавровской. 10. «В моей душе» (Минский). Посв. Е. А. Лавровской. 11. «Весенние воды» (Тютчев). Посв. А. Д. Орнатской. 12. «Пора» (Надсон).
Op. 15.		Шесть хоров для женских или детских голосов с фортепиано. 1895. 1. «Славься» (Некрасов). 2. «Ночка» (Лодыженский). 3. «Сосна» (Лермонтов). 4. «Задремали волны» (К. Р.). 5. «Неволя» (Цыганов). 6. «Ангел» (Лермонтов).
Op. 16.		Шесть музыкальных моментов для фортепиано. Посв. А. Затаевичу. 1896.
Op. 17.		Вторая сюита для двух фортепиано в 4 руки. Посв. А. Б. Гольденвейзеру. 1901. 1. Вступление. 2. Вальс. 3. Романс. 4. Тарантелла.
Op. 18.		Второй концерт для фортепиано с оркестром. Посв. Н. Далю. 1901.
Op. 19.		Соната для виолончели и фортепиано. Посв. А. Брандукову. 1901.
Op. 20.		«Весна». Кантата. Для баритона соло, хора и оркестра. Слова Некрасова. Посв. Н. С. Морозову. 1902.
Op. 21.		Двенадцать романсов. 1900–1902. 1. «Судьба» (к пятой симфонии Бетховена) (Апухтин). Посв. Ф. И. Шаляпину. 2. «Над свежей могилой» (Надсон). 3. «Сумерки» (Гюйо). Посв. Н. И. Забеле-Врубель. 4. «Оне отвечали» * (Мей — из Гюго). Посв. Е. Ю. Крейцер. 5. «Сирень» (Бекетова). 6. «Отрывок из Мюссе» (Апухтин). Посв. А. А. Ливен. 7. «Здесь хорошо» (Галина). 8. «На смерть чижика» (Жуковский). Посв. О. А. Трубниковой. 9. «Мелодия» (Надсон). Посв. Н. Лантинг. 10. «Пред иконой» * (Голенищев-Кутузов). Посв. М. А. Ивановой. 11. «Я не пророк» (Круглов). 12. «Как мне больно» (Галина). Посв. В. А. Сатину.
Op. 22.		Вариации на тему Шопена для фортепиано. Посв. И. Лешетицкому. 1903.
Op. 23.		Десять прелюдий для фортепиано. Посв. А. Зилоти. 1903.
Op. 24.		«Скупой рыцарь». Опера в 3-х картинах. Текст А. С. Пушкина. 1905.
Op. 25.		«Франческа да Римини». Драматический эпизод V песни «Ада» Данте. Опера в 2-х картинах с прологом и эпилогом. Либретто М. И. Чайковского. 1905.
Op. 26.		Пятнадцать романсов. Посв. М. С. и А. М. Керзиным. 1906. 1. «Есть много звуков» (А. Толстой). 2. «Всё отнял у меня» (Тютчев). 3. «Мы отдохнём» (Чехов). 4. «Два прощания» (Кольцов). 5. «Покинем, милая» (Голенищев-Кутузов). 6. «Христос воскрес» (Мережковский). 7. «К детям» (Хомяков). 8. «Пощады я молю» (Мережковский). 9. «Я опять одинок» (Бунин — из Шевченко). 10. «У моего окна» (Галина). 11. «Фонтан» (Тютчев). 12. «Ночь печальна» (Бунин). 13. «Вчера мы встретились» (Полонский). 14. «Кольцо» (Кольцов). 15. «Проходит всё» (Ратгауз).
Op. 27.		Вторая симфония для оркестра. Посв. С. И. Танееву. 1907.
Op. 28.		Первая соната для фортепиано. 1907.
Op. 29.		«Остров мёртвых». Симфоническая поэма к картине Бёклина. Для оркестра. Посв. Н. Струве. 1909.
Op. 30.		Третий концерт для фортепиано с оркестром. Посв. И. Гофману. 1909.
Op. 31.		Литургия св. Иоанна Златоуста для смешанного хора. 1910.
Op. 32.		Тринадцать прелюдий для фортепиано. 1910.
Op. 33.		Шесть этюдов-картин для фортепиано. 1911.
Op. 34.		Четырнадцать романсов. 1910–1915. 1. «Муза» (Пушкин). Посв. Re. 2. «В душе у каждого из нас» (Коринфский). Посв. Ф. И. Шаляпину. 3. «Буря» (Пушкин). Посв. Л. В. Собинову. 4. «Ветер перелётный» (Бальмонт). Посв. Л. В. Собинову. 5. «Арион» (Пушкин). Посв. Л. В. Собинову. 6. «Воскрешение Лазаря» (Хомяков). Посв. Ф. И. Шаляпину. 7. «Не может быть» (Майков). Посв. памяти В. Ф. Комиссаржевской. 8. «Музыка» (Полонский). Посв. П. Ч. 9. «Ты знал его» (Тютчев). Посв. Ф. И. Шаляпину. 10. «Сей день я помню» (Тютчев). Посв. Л. В. Собинову. 11. «Оброчник» (Фет). Посв. Ф. И. Шаляпину. 12. «Какое счастье» (Фет). Посв. Л. В. Собинову. 13. «Диссонанс» (Полонский). Посв. Ф. Литвин. 14. «Вокализ». Посв. А. Неждановой.
Op. 35.		«Колокола». Поэма для оркестра, хора и солистов. Слова Эдгара По в переводе Бальмонта. Посв. Виллему Менгельбергу и оркестру Concergebouw в Амстердаме. 1913.
Op. 36.		Вторая соната для фортепиано. Посв. М. Пресману. 1913.
Op. 37.		Всенощная для смешанного хора. Посв. памяти С. В. Смоленского. 1915.
Op. 38.		Шесть стихотворений. Посв. Н. П. Кошиц. 1916. 1. «Ночью в саду у меня» (Блок). 2. «К ней» (А. Белый). 3. «Маргаритки» (Игорь Северянин). 4. «Крысолов» (Брюсов). 5. «Сон» (Сологуб). 6. «Ау» (Бальмонт).
Op. 39.		Девять этюдов-картин для фортепиано. 1916–1917.
Op. 40.		Четвёртый концерт для фортепиано с оркестром. Посв. Н. Метнеру. 1926.
Op. 41.		Три русские песни для оркестра и хора. Посв. Л. Стоковскому. 1926.
Op. 42.		Вариации на тему Корелли для фортепиано. Посв. Ф. Крейслеру. 1931.
Op. 43.		Рапсодия на тему Паганини для фортепиано и оркестра. 1934.
Op. 44.		Третья симфония для оркестра. 1936.
Op. 45.		«Симфонические танцы» для оркестра. Посв. Е. Орманди. 1940.

Произведения без опуса

• «Алеко». Опера в 1 д. Либретто В. И. Немировича-Данченко по поэме Пушкина «Цыганы». 1892.
• Скерцо.
  
• Юношеская симфония (1-я часть). 1891.
  
• «Князь Ростислав». Симфоническая поэма на стихотворение А. Толстого. Посв. А. С. Аренскому. 1891.
• Квартет для 2-х скрипок, альта и виолончели. 1889. Две части:1. Романс.2. Скерцо.
  
• Элегическое трио для фортепиано, скрипки и виолончели. 1892.
  
• Квартет для 2-х скрипок, альта и виолончели. 2 части.

и мн. др.

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Сергей Рахманинов

Имя этого великого музыканта известно во всем мире, и его смело можно назвать «русским гением». Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов был великолепным пианистом, который не имел себе равных, блестящим дирижером и композитором, оставившим после себя огромное культурное наследие. Он создал такие выдающиеся произведения, которые своей вдохновенностью никого не могут оставить равнодушными. Роковая судьба распорядилась так, что маэстро пришлось покинуть Родину, но любовь к отчизне, как и любовь к музыке, он пронес в сердце через всю жизнь и отразил это в своём гениальном творчестве.

Краткую биографию Сергея Рахманинова и множество интересных фактов о композиторе читайте на нашей странице.

Краткая биография Рахманинова

Сергей Рахманинов появился на свет 1 апреля 1873 года в имении Онег Новгородской губернии. С юных лет мальчик стал проявлять особый интерес к музыке, поэтому мама Любовь Петровна стал обучать его игре на инструменте с четырехлетнего возраста. Когда Сергею Васильевичу исполнилось девять лет, вся семья была вынуждена переехать жить в Северную столицу, так как их имение было продано за долги. Отец будущего композитора ушел из семьи, поэтому о детях теперь заботилась одна мать. Она-то и приняла решение дать Сергею именно музыкальное образование, как и хотела первоначально.

Вскоре Рахманинова принимают на младшее отделение в Петербургскую консерваторию. Вот только с учебой у мальчика не заладилось, ведь он предпочитал проводить время на улице, а не за фортепиано. Тогда по совету Александра Зилоти, который приходился Рахманинову двоюродным братом, было решено перевести юного музыканта в Московскую консерваторию к Н.С. Звереву. Этот педагог давно славился своей особой системой воспитания одаренных учеников. Он выбирал из класса двух-трех талантливых детей и забирал на полный пансион к себе домой. Там Николай Сергеевич приучал учеников к дисциплине, высочайшей организованности и систематическим занятиям, занимаясь с каждым из них индивидуально. В 1887 году Рахманинов начинает сочинять и записывать первые произведения. В то время его преподавателем по контрапункту становится С.И. Танеев.

Сергей Васильевич окончил консерваторию по двум классам – фортепиано (1891 г.) и композиции (1892 г.). Его дипломной работой стала опера «Алеко», созданная им всего за семнадцать дней. За свое сочинение он получил высочайшую отметку «5+». В 1892 году Сергей Васильевич впервые выступил перед публикой как пианист, со своей известнейшей Прелюдией до-диез минор, ставшей настоящей жемчужиной его творчества.

В 1897 году состоялась долгожданная премьера Первой симфонии, над которой Рахманинов долго работал. После этого концерта, который был крайне неудачным для композитора, он не сочинял ничего в течение трех лет, так как произведение провалилось. Публика и безжалостные критики отрицательно встретили симфонию, да и сам Рахманинов был крайне разочарован. В итоге партитуру он уничтожил, запретив когда-либо исполнять ее. Оставив на время композицию, Сергей Васильевич вплотную занялся исполнительской деятельностью. В 1900 году он вновь вернулся к любимому занятию и принялся за написание Второго фортепианного концерта. Вслед за ним, выходят другие популярные сочинения композитора. В 1906 году Рахманинов решает уйти с постоянной работы в Мариинском женском училище, где он преподавал теорию музыки, чтобы заняться творчеством.

В 1917 году композитор вместе со своей семьей отправляется в Швецию с концертной программой, и предполагалось, что вернутся они через два месяца. Однако, как оказалось, с родными краями они простились уже навсегда. Вскоре семейство Рахманиновых переехало в Америку. Там очень ценили талант Сергея Васильевича и считали его пианистом мирового уровня. Ему приходилось много и напряженно работать, подготавливая концертные программы, иногда из-за чего сильно болели руки.

В этот период Рахманинов снова делает большой перерыв и ничего не сочиняет практически восемь лет. Лишь в 1926 году из-под его пера появляется Четвертый концерт для фортепиано.

В 1931 году семья Рахманиновых покупает участок на берегу озера в Швейцарии, и вскоре там появляется вилла «Сенар». Именно тут он и создает свои знаковые сочинения – Рапсодию на тему Паганини и Третью симфонию. Симфонические танцы композитор написал в 1940 году и это стало его последним произведением.

28 марта 1943 года тяжелобольной Рахманинов скончался в кругу своих родных в Беверли-Хиллз.

Интересные факты из жизни Рахманинова

• У Рахманинова и его учителя Н. Зверева произошел конфликт из-за композиции. Оба очень тяжело переживали это, а помириться музыканты смогли лишь после выпускного экзамена. Тогда Зверев подарил Рахманинову свои золотые часы, которые композитор бережно хранил всю жизнь.
• В выпускном классе фортепианного отделения Сергей Рахманинов остался без педагога, так как А. Зилоти ушел из консерватории, а его ученик не захотел менять наставника. В результате ему пришлось самостоятельно подготовить выпускную программу, с которой он блестяще выступил на экзамене.
• Так как Рахманинов окончил сразу два факультета с отличием, то ему была вручена Большая золотая медаль.
• Когда шли репетиции первой оперы «Алеко», к начинающему композитору подошел П.И. Чайковский и предложил исполнить сочинение Рахманинова вместе со своим новым спектаклем «Иоланта», если тот не возражает. От счастья и восторга Рахманинов даже не смог вымолвить и слова.
• Из биографии Рахманинова мы знаем, что в 1903 году Рахманинов женился на Наталье Сатиной, которая приходилась ему двоюродной сестрой. Из-за этого музыканту даже пришлось простить «Высочайшего разрешения» на брак.

• Композитор признавался, что провал первой симфонии огорчил его не из-за негативных отзывов, а из-за того, что ему и самому не понравилось сочинение уже на первой репетиции, но он не стал ничего исправлять.
• Несмотря на то что Рахманинов последние десятилетия своей жизни прожил в США, он отказался от гражданства этого государства, так как не захотел отрекаться от своей Родины.
• Вилла «Сенар» получила название по первым слогам имен Сергея Васильевича и его супруги Натальи Рахманиновой. Это место стало особенным для композитора, он даже специально привез туда русские березы, а само имение создал в национальном стиле.

• Когда началась Великая Отечественная война, Рахманинов крайне тяжело переживал это и даже один из гонораров за свое выступление (сумма составляла около 4 тыс. долларов) он передал для поддержки советской армии. Его примеру тут же последовали другие известные музыканты.
• Необычайный талант Рахманинова передался ему от деда Аркадия Александровича, который был не только превосходным пианистом, но и сочинял небольшие фортепианные произведения.
• С самого детства Сергей Васильевич обладал фантастической памятью. Он мог легко исполнить по памяти произведение, даже если слышал его всего один раз.
• Выступал Рахманинов и в качестве дирижера, причем все его постановки («Князь Игорь» Бородина, «Русалка» Даргомыжского и др.) стали эталоном.
• Помимо хорошей памяти композитор обладал еще одной уникальной особенностью, которую отмечали многие исследователи его жизни и творчества. Он мог легко охватывать на рояле сразу 12 белых клавиш, что было не под силу многим известным пианистам.
• На деньги, переданные Рахманиновым на Родину во время Великой Отечественной войны, был построен самолет для армии.
• Композитор очень хотел еще раз посетить свою родную страну, сохранились сведения, что он пытался это сделать незадолго до своей смерти, однако, его не пустили.
• На любимом инструменте Рахманинов занимался ежедневно, вплоть до конца своей жизни.
• Сергей Васильевич не очень любил внимание репортеров, фотографов и предпочитал всегда избегать встречи с толпой журналистов.
• Мало кто знает из любителей музыки, но мелодия известного сингла «All by myself», которую исполняла популярная певица Селин Дион, была позаимствована из Второго фортепианного концерта Рахманинова. Автор песни Эрик Кармен считал, что наследие великого композитора является национальным достоянием, но вскоре ему пришлось долго улаживать все вопросы с наследниками маэстро. Более того, он даже вынужден был указать имя Рахманинова, как настоящего автора песни.

• Биография Рахманинова гласит, что юный композитор был очень влюбчивым, и у него часто вспыхивали сильные чувства к девушкам. Так, одним из его увлечений стала Вера Скалон, с которой он познакомился в 17 лет. Именно этой девушке он посвятил несколько своих произведений: «В молчанье ночи тайной», 2 часть Первого фортепианного концерта. А называл свою возлюбленную Рахманинов Верочка или «Моя Психопатушка». Интересно, что практически одновременно он влюбляется в жену своего приятеля Анну Лодыженскую и также сочиняет для нее романсы.
• Мало кто знает, но при жизни Рахманинов запатентовал специально приспособление для пианистов – грелку-муфту, в которой исполнители могли согревать свои руки перед важным выступлением.

Творчество Рахманинова

Творческий облик Сергея Васильевича необычайно многогранен, ведь на протяжении жизни он обращался к самым разнообразным музыкальным жанрам и практически в каждом из них оставил настоящие шедевры. Есть одна общая черта, которая невидимой нитью объединяет все его произведения – это любовь к Родине и связь с русской культурой. Не секрет, что именно образ родной земли занял центральное место в его творчестве. Самое удивительно, что Рахманинов не сочинял исторические произведения или программные, которые были связаны с исторической тематикой. Но это не помешало ему выразить всю глубину патриотических чувств в своей музыке. Еще одна отличительная черта Рахманинова – это лиричность, большая роль в его творчестве отводится песенной, протяжной мелодии.

Необычные привычки и высказывания истинного музыканта

• Очень часто композитор отмечал, что он всего лишь на 85 процентов музыкант. Если же интересовались, куда делись оставшиеся 15, то Рахманинов отвечал, что он еще и человек.
• Сергей Васильевич очень тяжело переживал провал своих произведений, но удачное исполнение тоже могло вызвать в нем творческие сомнения. Однажды после успешного выступления он вынужден был запереться в гримерке, чтобы никого не видеть. Когда же маэстро открыл дверь, то сразу же попросил, чтобы ему ничего не говорили о концерте, так как он не музыкант, а сапожник.
• Несмотря на большие гонорары за свои выступления, Рахманинов предпочитал одеваться достаточно скромно, что подмечали многие журналисты того времени. Но это ничуть не мешало ему держать в своем гараже последние модели дорогостоящих автомобилей.
• Рахманинов всегда бережно относился к своим рукам, многие современники отмечали, что они у него были очень красивые. Даже кнопки на его ботинках перед концертами застегивала всегда супруга, чтобы он не поранил пальцы.
• Рахманинов был требователен не только к себе, но и к публике. Особенно он не любил когда в зале начинали кашлять и разговаривать во время его исполнения. Свое недовольство он выражал тем, что мог пропустить несколько вариаций в произведении.

 

Фильмы о Рахманинове

Личность знаменитого музыканта всегда привлекала внимание кинорежиссеров, которые по биографии Рахманинова сняли достаточное количество картин, которые рассказывают о жизни композитора.

В фильме «Поэма о крыльях» (1980), режиссера Даниила Храбровицкого, рассказывается о советской авиации, тем не менее в картине довольно часто появляется фигура Сергея Рахманинова, которого сыграл Олег Ефремов.

В 1992 году студия Центрнаучфильм выпустила ленту «Портрет Рахманинова» в двух частях. Режиссер фильма – А. Косачев.

Фильм «Сергей Рахманинов. Две жизни» можно называть первой кинолентой, посвященной композитору, которая охватила весь жизненный путь музыканта. Примечательно, что внук талантливого исполнителя Александр Рахманинов принимал непосредственное участие при создании картины. В фильме показано две жизни Сергея Васильевича – на Родине и в США. Особенно интересна эта картина тем, что в ней есть редкие материалы и сведения, которые удалось получить из личных бесед с родными и близкими Рахманинова. Очень точно рассказывается о его зарубежной жизни и творческом пути.

В 2003 году Андрей Кончаловский снял документальный фильм «Сергей Рахманинов», который вошел в цикл «Гении». Картина знакомит публику с редкими кадрами из жизни известного музыканта. Сам Кончаловский признавался, что это его любимый композитор, наделенный сильным, настоящим русским характером.

В 2007 году вышел фильм Павла Лунгина «Ветка сирени», который был приурочен к 135-летию музыканта. В первую очередь это художественный фильм, где очень тесно взаимодействуют реальные факты и вымысел сценариста. Даже в самом конце ленты есть пометка о том, что события являются художественным вымыслом, впрочем, как и сам главный герой. Тем не менее эта кинолента заслуживает внимания всех любителей и почитателей таланта Рахманинова. Уже с первой минуты зрители погружаются в мир музыки, оказываясь на концерте маэстро в Карнеги-Холле. Великолепная игра актеров (Евгений Цыганов, Виктория Толстоганова), а также знаменитые композиции Сергея Васильевича мгновенно перенесут всех зрителей в то время, заставляя глубоко переживать все моменты личной жизни вместе с главным героем картины.

В 2012 году телеканал «Культура» представил фильм о Сергее Васильевиче из цикла «Партитуры не горят». Артем Варгафтик в своей авторской программе затронул старинную испанскую тему «Фолии», на которую Рахманинов сочинил свои известные Вариации.

Фильмы, в которых звучит музыка Рахманинова

Существует огромное количество кинолент, в которых можно услышать прекрасные образцы творчества Сергея Рахманинова, и с каждым годом их количество неизменно пополняется. Мы приведем лишь некоторый список самых популярных фильмов, в которых встречается музыка композитора.

1. Страна грез (2016)
2. Зверополис (2016)
3. Дневник Бриджит Джонс 3 (2016)
4. Хорошая жена (2015)
5. Вечеринка закончилась (2015)
6. Бёрдмен (2014)
7. Паганини: Скрипач дьявола (2013)
8. Бен-Стивенсон: хореограф и его Музы (2012)
9. Чудо (2012)
10. Однажды вечером (2010)
11. Хор (2009)
12. Слеза (2007)
13. Шесть демонов Эмили Роуз (2005)
14. Шрек 2 (2004)
15. Дневники Бриджит Джонс (2001)
16. Мелкие мошенники (2000)
17. Авансцена (2000), Сабрина (1995)
18. Короткая встреча (1993),
19. Свадьба моего лучшего друга (1997)
20. Блеск (1996)
21. Нью-йоркские ночи (1984)
22. Доктор Живаго (1965)

Несмотря на эмиграцию, Рахманинов всегда думал о своей родной земле и глубоко переживал начало военных действий. Была у великого музыканта  мечта, с которой он не расставался ни на миг. Рахманинов очень хотел еще раз оказаться на родной земле, однако, этому не суждено было осуществиться. Во время Первого Международного конкурса пианистов им. Чайковского, проходившего в 1958 году, один из лауреатов по имени Ван Клиберн отвез небольшую горсть русской земли в Америку, чтобы высыпать на могилу С. Рахманинова, великого «русского гения».

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Фильм о С. Рахманинове

Изучая жизнь и творчество известных людей, можно научиться стойкости, трудолюбию и вере в себя. Гениальный пианист и композитор Сергей Рахманинов, биография которого является таким примером, стойко пережил удары судьбы. Он сумел создать свой оригинальный стиль музыки, прославиться не только на родине, но и за границей. Давайте больше узнаем о личности композитора.

Биография Рахманинова: детство, образование

Чтобы понять, кто такой Рахманинов, как формировался его талант, нужно изучить биографию пианиста. Начнем с ранних и юношеских лет будущего композитора:

Детские годы

Талантливый пианист и дирижер Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов увидел мир 1 апреля 1873 года в усадьбе Семеново Новгородской губернии. Он стал четвертым ребенком в семье, где, кроме него, было еще пятеро детей: три девочки и два мальчика. Родителями будущего пианиста были весьма одаренные личности:

• отец — Василий Аркадьевич — мастерски музицировал для удовольствия;
• мать — Любовь Петровна — также играла на фортепиано. Именно она привила Сергею любовь к музыке.

Дедушка Рахманинова был известным пианистом, давал концерты в городах имперской России. Сергей Рахманинов, биография которого описана в статье, рос в типичной для дворянских семей музыкальной обстановке. Развитию творческой личности способствовало окружение и образ жизни семьи: пение под аккомпанемент фортепиано, песни крестьян, церковный хор.

Если вас интересует Рахманинов, краткая биография музыканта поможет понять, как формировалась его личность. Обучать Сергея игре на фортепиано вначале стала мать. Любовь Петровна заметила, как во время уроков старших детей Сережа прятался поблизости и слушал музыку. А с четырех лет он стал обучаться музыке с матерью, а затем с профессиональными педагогами.

Обучение музыке

В девять лет Рахманинов вместе с семьей отправился в Санкт-Петербург, где поступил в консерваторию в класс Владимира Демянского. Несмотря на природный талант, обучался Сергей плохо. Привыкший к свободной жизни в усадьбе, он с трудом подчинялся режиму.

Поэтому спустя три года семья отправила Рахманинова в московский пансион Николая Зверева. Здесь он жил и учился в строгой дисциплине. В пансионе Сергей познакомился с талантливым русским композитором Петром Чайковским.

Однако через четыре года он оставил обучение в пансионе и переехал жить к родственникам Сатиным. Где дальше обучался Рахманинов? Биография пианиста подсказывает, что он продолжил обучаться музыке в Московской консерватории:

• с 1888 года изучал игру на фортепиано;
• с 1889-го получал знания по композиции.

Сергей Рахманинов окончил консерваторию с золотой медалью. Уже во время учебы он сочинил произведения, которые стали известны московской публике. О творчестве Рахманинова пойдет речь ниже.

Сергей Рахманинов: произведения, творчество

Рахманинов Сергей Васильевич не первый, кто реализовался в жанре фортепианного концерта, до него был Рубинштейн, Чайковский. Но лишь у Рахманинова это направление стало основным в творчестве.

Как же развивалось творчество Рахманинова? Итак:

Первые успехи и неудачи

Еще во время обучения Сергей прославился в Москве. В то время он создал:

• Фортепианный концерт №1.
• Прелюдию до-диез минор.
• Романс «В молчаньи ночи тайной».
• Оперу «Алеко».

Творчество молодого композитора нравилось Чайковскому, и при его поддержке опера «Алеко» была представлена в театре оперы и балета. Как композитор Рахманинов был решительным, но его творческая натура оставалась ранимой к чужому мнению. Неуверенности прибавляли материальные трудности и неустроенность (в те времена Сергей жил в семье Сатиных). Чтобы заработать, Рахманинов в 20 лет преподавал в Мариинском училище и давал частные уроки, но это не приносило удовольствия.

Через четыре года Сергей устроился вторым дирижером в Московскую оперу. Отработав сезон, он решил заниматься композицией. На фоне успехов потрясение Рахманинова вызвал провал Первой симфонии в Петербурге. Неудачное исполнение и не понятая дирижером Глазуновым музыка получили разгромные рецензии. Это привело к кризису в творчестве и депрессии Рахманинова. Композитор потерял вкус к жизни и более трех лет не мог сочинять.

Зрелый период и эмиграция

Второе дыхание у композитора открылось с выходом Второго фортепианного концерта в 1901 году. Творчество Рахманинова стало зрелым, а жанр концерта — ведущим.

В это время он работал дирижером в Большом театре, давал фортепианные концерты. Большое признание творчество композитора получило за рубежом.

В 1906 году он ушел из театра, побывал в Италии и Германии, а уже через три года С. В. Рахманинов давал концерты в США и Канаде. Там же он представил новое сочинение — Фортепианный концерт №3.

В этот период Сергей Рахманинов выпускает такие произведения, как:

• поэма «Остров мертвых»;
• поэма «Колокола»;
• соната № 2 для фортепиано.

Композитор часто выступал и в России, пока не грянула революция 1917 года. Получив предложение дать концерт в Швеции, Рахманинов вместе с семьей эмигрировал за границу.

Первое время ему приходилось тяжело: тоска по Родине сказывалась на желании сочинять. Тогда Сергей стал зарабатывать игрой на фортепиано, давая по несколько концертов в сезон.

В 1918 году он переехал в Нью-Йорк, где был принят как звезда первой величины. Популярность русского пианиста была огромной, его часто преследовали папарацци. Портрет Рахманинова представлен в статье.

Через некоторое время он создал Четвертый фортепианный концерт, несколько русских песен. В 1941-м вышло последнее произведение композитора — «Симфонические танцы». Он был признан великим пианистом и дирижером своей эпохи.

Сергей Рахманинов: факты, личная жизнь, последние годы

Жизнь творческой, ранимой личности складывалась непросто. Сергея Васильевича всегда поддерживали близкие люди, о чем пойдет речь дальше:

Интересные факты и личная жизнь

Рахманинов был человеком влюбчивым, что также проявлялось в лирических композициях. Его женой стала двоюродная сестра Наталья Сатина, с которой он был знаком еще во время обучения в Москве. Свадьба состоялась 29 апреля 1902 года. У пары появились две дочери:

• Татьяна;
• Ирина.

Жена всегда поддерживала Сергея, часто сопровождала его на гастролях. Впоследствии он называл ее «добрый гений всей моей жизни». Вот какие еще факты известны о композиторе:

1. Построил в Швейцарии виллу «Сенар». Название виллы — объединение имен Сергея и Натальи.
2. Обладал прекрасной музыкальной памятью. Он мог запомнить произведение, прослушав его всего один–два раза.
3. Был человеком точным, аккуратным, склонным к пессимистическому настрою. Его мнительность часто служила причиной плохого расположения духа.
4. Любил церковное и цыганское пение. Поэтому часто посещал Андроников монастырь и рестораны, заслушиваясь музыкой.
5. Был близорук, но прекрасно управлял автомобилем.

Последние годы

Несмотря на признание публики, годы жизни Рахманинова за границей были тяжелыми. Сказывалась тоска по родной стране.

За границей Сергей окружал себя русской прислугой и общался с русскими эмигрантами. Единственным иностранцем, вхожим в семью Рахманинова, стал Фредерик Стейнвей — производитель фортепиано и близкий друг композитора.

Сергей Васильевич ни на миг не забывал о своем народе. Во время Второй мировой войны он отправлял средства с концертов на помощь Красной армии, призывал и других эмигрантов внести посильный вклад.

Рахманинов много курил, в почтенном возрасте у него нашли онкологическое заболевание. Внук композитора Александр связывал проблемы со здоровьем с вредной привычкой деда.

Композитора не стало 28 марта 1943 года. За шесть недель до смерти состоялся последний концерт маэстро. Могила Рахманинова находится на кладбище Кенсико, недалеко от Нью-Йорка.

Теперь вы знаете, кто такой Рахманинов. Композитор внес огромный вклад в развитие русской фортепианной музыки, прославив ее на весь мир. Как пианист он стал эталоном для следующих поколений. Его творчество оставляет след в душе каждого слушателя.

Оригинал статьи: https://www.nur.kz/family/school/1882847-rahmaninov-biografia-licnaa-zizn-tvorcestvo-kompozitora/

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff in 1921
Born	1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 Semyonovo, Staraya Russa, Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	28 March 1943 (aged 69) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Notable work	List of compositions
Signature

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. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness and rich orchestral colours.^[4] The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff’s compositional output and he made a point of using his skills as a performer to fully explore the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument.

Born into a musical family, Rachmaninoff took up the piano at the age of four. He studied with Anton Arensky and Sergei Taneyev at the Moscow Conservatory and graduated in 1892, having already composed several piano and orchestral pieces. In 1897, following the disastrous premiere of his Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninoff entered a four-year depression and composed little until successful supportive therapy allowed him to complete his enthusiastically received Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1901. In the course of the next sixteen years, Rachmaninoff conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre, relocated to Dresden, Germany, and toured the United States for the first time.

Following the Russian Revolution, Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia, and in 1918 they settled in New York City. With his primary source of income coming from performances as a pianist and a conductor, Rachmaninoff had little time to compose. Because of this, he completed just six works between 1918 and 1943, including the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 3, and Symphonic Dances. By 1942, his declining health led to his relocation to Beverly Hills, California, and later became a US citizen a few weeks before he died of advanced melanoma in 1943.

Life and career[edit]

Ancestry and early years: 1873–1885[edit]

Rachmaninoff was born on 1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 into a family of Russian aristocracy in the Russian Empire.^[c] The family tradition claims descent from a legendary Vasily, nicknamed «Rachman», a supposed grandson of Stephen III of Moldavia.^[5][6] Rachmaninoff’s family had strong musical and military leanings. His paternal grandfather, Arkady Alexandrovich, was a musician who had taken lessons from Irish composer John Field.^[5][7] His father, Vasily Arkadievich Rachmaninoff (1841–1916), was an army officer and amateur pianist who married Lyubov Petrovna Butakova (1853–1929), the daughter of a wealthy army general who gave him five estates as part of her dowry. The couple had three sons and three daughters, Sergei being their third child.^[8][9][10]

Rachmaninoff was born in the family estate in the village of Semyonovo, near Staraya Russa, Novgorod Governorate. His birth was registered in Semyonovo church book and signed by Priest Platon Savitsky and acolyte Peter Lubochsky.^[11][9] After Sergei turned four, the family moved to another house in Oneg estate, about 110 miles north of Semyonovo, and the Semyonovo estate was sold in 1879 by Rachmaninoff’s father. Young Sergei Rachmaninoff was raised in Oneg estate from age four until aged nine, and he mistakenly cited it as his birthplace in his adult life.^[12] Rachmaninoff began piano and music lessons organized by his mother at age four.^[12] She noticed his ability to reproduce passages from memory without a wrong note. Upon hearing news of the boy’s gift, Arkady suggested she hire Anna Ornatskaya, a teacher and recent graduate of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, to live with the family and begin formal teaching. Rachmaninoff dedicated his famous romance for voice and piano «Spring Waters» from 12 Romances, Op. 14 to Ornatskaya.^[8]

Rachmaninoff’s father, who wanted him to join the military, had to sell the five estates one by one to pay his debts due to his financial incompetence and therefore could not afford an expensive military career for him.^[13][14] The last estate in Oneg was auctioned off in 1882,^[10] and the family moved to a small flat in Saint Petersburg.^[15] In 1883, Ornatskaya arranged for Rachmaninoff, now 10, to study music at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Later that year, his sister Sofia died of diphtheria, and his father left the family for Moscow.^[16] His maternal grandmother stepped in to help raise the children with particular focus on their religious life, regularly taking Rachmaninoff to Russian Orthodox Church services where he first encountered liturgical chants and church bells, two features he would incorporate in his compositions.^[17]

In 1885, Rachmaninoff suffered a further loss when his sister Yelena died at age 18 of pernicious anaemia.^[18] She was an important musical influence on Rachmaninoff and had introduced him to the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.^[19] As a respite, his grandmother took him to a farm retreat by the Volkhov River.^[20] At the Conservatory, however, he had adopted a relaxed attitude, played truant, failed his general education classes and purposely altered his report cards.^[21] Rachmaninoff performed at events held at the Moscow Conservatory during this time, including those attended by the Grand Duke Konstantin and other notable figures. However, upon his failing his spring exams, Ornatskaya notified his mother that his admission to further education might be revoked.^[20] His mother then consulted with Alexander Siloti, her nephew and an accomplished pianist and student of Franz Liszt. He recommended transferring Rachmaninoff to the Moscow Conservatory to receive lessons from his former teacher, the more strict Nikolai Zverev,^[22] which lasted until 1888.^[23]

Moscow Conservatory and first compositions: 1885–1894[edit]

In the autumn of 1885, Rachmaninoff moved in with Zverev and stayed for almost four years, during which he befriended fellow pupil Alexander Scriabin.^[24] After two years of tuition, the fifteen year old Rachmaninoff was awarded a Rubinstein scholarship,^[25] and graduated from the lower division of the Conservatory to become a pupil of Siloti in advanced piano, Sergei Taneyev in counterpoint, and Anton Arensky in free composition.^[26][27] In 1889, a rift formed between Rachmaninoff and Zverev, now his adviser, after Zverev turned down the composer’s request for assistance in renting a piano and greater privacy to compose.^[28][29] Zverev, who believed composition was a waste for talented pianists, refused to speak to Rachmaninoff for some time and organised for him to live with his uncle and aunt Satin and their family in Moscow.^[30] Rachmaninoff then found his first romance in Vera, the youngest daughter of the neighbouring Skalon family, but her mother objected and forbade Rachmaninoff to write to her, leaving him to correspond with her older sister Natalia.^[31] It is from these letters that many of Rachmaninoff’s earliest compositions can be traced.^[22]

Rachmaninoff spent his summer break in 1890 with the Satins at Ivanovka, their private country estate near Tambov, to which the composer would return many times until 1917.^[32] The peaceful and bucolic surroundings became a source of inspiration for the composer who completed many compositions while at the estate, including his Op. 1, the Piano Concerto No. 1, which he completed in July 1891, and dedicated to Siloti.^[33][34] Also that year, Rachmaninoff completed the one-movement Youth Symphony and the symphonic poem Prince Rostislav.^[35] Siloti left the Moscow Conservatory after the academic year ended in 1891 and Rachmaninoff asked to take his final piano exams a year early to avoid being assigned a different teacher. Despite little faith from Siloti and Conservatory director Vasily Safonov as he had just three weeks’ preparation, Rachmaninoff received assistance from a recent graduate who was familiar with the tests, and passed each one with honours in July 1891. Three days later, he passed his annual theory and composition exams.^[36] His progress was unexpectedly halted in the latter half of 1891 when he contracted a severe case of malaria during his summer break at Ivanovka.^[37][38]

During his final year at the Conservatory, Rachmaninoff performed his first independent concert, where he premiered his Trio élégiaque No. 1 in January 1892, followed by a performance of the first movement of his Piano Concerto No. 1 two months later.^[39][40] His request to take his final theory and composition exams a year early was also granted, for which he wrote Aleko, a one-act opera based on the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin, in seventeen days.^[41][34] It premiered in May 1892 at the Bolshoi Theatre; Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff for his work.^[42] Rachmaninoff believed it was «sure to fail», but the production was so successful the theatre agreed to produce it starring singer Feodor Chaliapin, who would go on to become a lifelong friend.^[43][22] Aleko earned Rachmaninoff the highest mark at the Conservatory and a Great Gold Medal, a distinction only previously awarded to Taneyev and Arseny Koreshchenko.^[22] Zverev, a member of the exam committee, gave the composer his gold watch, thus ending years of estrangement.^[44] On 29 May 1892, the Conservatory issued Rachmaninoff a diploma which allowed him to officially style himself as a «Free Artist».^[45]

Upon graduating, Rachmaninoff continued to compose and signed a 500-ruble publishing contract with Gutheil, under which Aleko, Two Pieces (Op. 2) and Six Songs (Op. 4) were among the first published.^[44] The composer had previously earned 15 rubles a month in giving piano lessons.^[46] He spent the summer of 1892 on the estate of Ivan Konavalov, a rich landowner in the Kostroma Oblast, and moved back with the Satins in the Arbat District.^[47] Delays in getting paid by Gutheil saw Rachmaninoff seeking other sources of income which led to an engagement at the Moscow Electrical Exhibition in September 1892, his public debut as a pianist, where he premiered his landmark Prelude in C-sharp minor from his five-part piano composition piece Morceaux de fantaisie (Op. 3). He was paid 50 rubles for his appearance.^[48][44] It was well received and became one of his most popular and enduring pieces.^[49][50] In 1893, he completed his tone poem The Rock, which he dedicated to Rimsky-Korsakov.^[51]

In 1893, Rachmaninoff spent a productive summer with friends at an estate in Kharkiv Oblast where he composed several pieces, including Fantaisie-Tableaux (aka Suite No. 1, Op. 5) and Morceaux de salon (Op. 10).^[52][53] In September, he published Six Songs (Op. 8), a group of songs set to translations by Aleksey Pleshcheyev of Ukrainian and German poems.^[54] Rachmaninoff returned to Moscow, where Tchaikovsky agreed to conduct The Rock for an upcoming European tour. During his subsequent trip to Kyiv to conduct performances of Aleko, he learned of Tchaikovsky’s death from cholera.^[55] The news left Rachmaninoff stunned; later that day, he started work on his Trio élégiaque No. 2 for piano, violin and cello as a tribute, which he completed within a month.^[56][57] The music’s aura of gloom reveals the depth and sincerity of Rachmaninoff’s grief for his idol.^[58] The piece debuted at the first concert devoted to Rachmaninoff’s compositions on 31 January 1894.^[57]

Symphony No. 1, depression, and conducting debut: 1894–1900[edit]

Rachmaninoff entered a decline following Tchaikovsky’s death. He lacked the inspiration to compose, and the management of the Grand Theatre had lost interest in showcasing Aleko and dropped it from the program.^[59] To earn more money, Rachmaninoff returned to giving piano lessons—which he hated^[60]—and in late 1895, agreed to a three-month tour across Russia with a program shared by Italian violinist Teresina Tua. The tour was not enjoyable for the composer and he quit before it ended, thus sacrificing his performance fees. In a more desperate plea for money, Rachmaninoff pawned his gold watch given to him by Zverev.^[61] In September 1895, before the tour started, Rachmaninoff completed his Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13), a work conceived in January and based on chants he had heard in Russian Orthodox church services.^[61] Rachmaninoff had worked so hard on it that he could not return to composition until he heard the piece performed.^[62] This lasted until October 1896, when «a rather large sum of money» that was not his was stolen from Rachmaninoff during a train journey and he had to work to recoup the losses. Among the pieces composed were Six Choruses (Op. 15) and Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), his final completed composition for several months.^[63]

Rachmaninoff’s fortunes took a turn following the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 on 28 March 1897 in one of a long-running series of Russian Symphony Concerts devoted to Russian music. The piece was brutally panned by critic and nationalist composer César Cui, who likened it to a depiction of the seven plagues of Egypt, suggesting it would be admired by the «inmates» of a music conservatory in Hell.^[64] The deficiencies of the performance, conducted by Alexander Glazunov, were not commented on by other critics,^[58] but according to a memoir from Alexander Ossovsky, a close friend of Rachmaninoff, Glazunov made poor use of rehearsal time, and the concert’s program itself, which contained two other premières, was also a factor. Other witnesses, including Rachmaninoff’s wife, suggested that Glazunov, an alcoholic, may have been drunk.^[65][66][67] Following the reaction to his first symphony, Rachmaninoff wrote in May 1897 that «I’m not at all affected» by its lack of success or critical reaction, but felt «deeply distressed and heavily depressed by the fact that my Symphony … did not please me at all after its first rehearsal».^[68] He thought its performance was poor, particularly Glazunov’s contribution.^[66] The piece was not performed for the rest of Rachmaninoff’s life, but he revised it into a four-hand piano arrangement in 1898.^[69]

Rachmaninoff fell into a depression that lasted for three years, during which he had writer’s block and composed almost nothing. He described this time as «Like the man who had suffered a stroke and for a long time had lost the use of his head and hands».^[69] He made a living by giving piano lessons.^[70] A stroke of good fortune came from Savva Mamontov, a Russian industrialist and founder of the Moscow Private Russian Opera, who offered Rachmaninoff the post of assistant conductor for the 1897–98 season. The cash-strapped composer accepted, conducting Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns as his first opera on 12 October 1897.^[71] By the end of February 1899, Rachmaninoff attempted composition and completed two short piano pieces, Morceau de Fantaisie and Fughetta in F major. Two months later, he travelled to London for the first time to perform and conduct, earning positive reviews.^[72]

During his time conducting in Moscow, Rachmaninoff was engaged to Natalia Satina. However, the Russian Orthodox church and Satina’s parents opposed their announcement, thwarting their plans for marriage. Rachmaninoff’s depression worsened in late 1899 following an unproductive summer; he composed one song, «Fate», which later became one of his Twelve Songs (Op. 21), and left compositions for a proposed return visit to London unfulfilled.^[73] In an attempt to revive his desire to compose, his aunt arranged for the writer Leo Tolstoy, whom Rachmaninoff greatly admired, to have the composer visit his home and receive words of encouragement. The visit was unsuccessful, doing nothing to help him compose with the fluency he had before.^[74][75]

Recovery, emergence, and conducting: 1900–1906[edit]

By 1900, Rachmaninoff had become so self-critical that, despite numerous attempts, composing had become near impossible. His aunt then suggested professional help, having received successful treatment from a family friend, physician and amateur musician Nikolai Dahl, to which Rachmaninoff agreed without resistance.^[76] Between January and April 1900, Rachmaninoff underwent hypnotherapy and supportive therapy sessions with Dahl on a daily basis,^[77] specifically structured to improve his sleep patterns, mood, and appetite and reignite his desire to compose. That summer, Rachmaninoff felt that «new musical ideas began to stir» and successfully resumed composition.^[78] His first fully completed work, the Piano Concerto No. 2, was finished in April 1901; it is dedicated to Dahl. After the second and third movement premiered in December 1900 with Rachmaninoff as the soloist, the entire piece was first performed in 1901 and was enthusiastically received.^[79] The piece earned the composer a Glinka Award, the first of five awarded to him throughout his life, and a 500-ruble prize in 1904.^[80]

Amid his professional career success, Rachmaninoff married Natalia Satina on 12 May 1902 after a three-year engagement.^[81] Because they were first cousins, the marriage was forbidden under a Canon law imposed by the Russian Orthodox Church; in addition, Rachmaninoff was not a regular church attendee and avoided confession, two things a priest would have had to confirm that he did in signing a marriage certificate.^[82] To circumvent the church’s opposition, the couple used their military background and organised a small ceremony in a chapel in a Moscow suburb army barracks with Siloti and the cellist Anatoliy Brandukov as best men.^[83][84] They received the smaller of two houses at the Ivanovka estate as a present and went on a three-month honeymoon across Europe.^[81] Upon their return, they settled in Moscow, where Rachmaninoff resumed work as a music teacher at St. Catherine’s Women’s College and the Elizabeth Institute.^[85] By February 1903 he had completed his largest piano composition of his career at the time, the Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22).^[85] On 14 May 1903, the couple’s first daughter, Irina Sergeyevna Rachmaninova, was born.^[86] During their summer break at Ivanovka, the family was struck with illness.^[87]

In 1904, in a career change, Rachmaninoff agreed to become the conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre for two seasons. He earned a mixed reputation during his time at the post, enforcing strict discipline and demanding high standards of performance.^[88] Influenced by Richard Wagner, he pioneered the modern arrangement of the orchestra players in the pit and the modern custom of standing while conducting. He also worked with each soloist on their part, even accompanying them on the piano.^[89] The theatre staged the premiere of his operas The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini.^[90]

In the course of his second season as conductor, Rachmaninoff lost interest in his post. The social and political unrest surrounding the 1905 Revolution was beginning to affect the performers and theatre staff, who staged protests and demands for improved wages and conditions. Rachmaninoff remained largely uninterested in the politics surrounding him and the revolutionary spirit had made working conditions increasingly difficult.^[91] In February 1906, after conducting 50 performances in the first season and 39 in the second, Rachmaninoff handed in his resignation.^[92] He then took his family on an extended tour around Italy with the hope of completing new works, but illness struck his wife and daughter, and they returned to Ivanovka.^[93] Money soon became an issue following Rachmaninoff’s resignation from his posts at St. Catherine’s and Elizabeth schools, leaving him only the option of composing.^[94]

Move to Dresden and first US tour: 1906–1917[edit]

Increasingly unhappy with the political turmoil in Russia and in need of seclusion from his lively social life to be able to compose, Rachmaninoff with his family left Moscow for Dresden, Germany, in November 1906.^[95] The city had become a favourite of both Rachmaninoff and Natalia, and they stayed there until 1909, only returning to Russia for their summer breaks at Ivanovka.^[96] In Paris, during the summer of 1907, he saw a black and white reproduction of The Isle of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin, which served as the inspiration for his orchestral work of the same name, Op. 29.^[97] Despite occasional periods of depression, apathy, and little faith in any of his work,^[98] Rachmaninoff started on his Symphony No. 2 (Op. 27) in 1906, twelve years after the disastrous premiere of his first.^[99] While writing it, Rachmaninoff and the family returned to Russia, but the composer detoured to Paris to take part in Sergei Diaghilev’s season of Russian concerts in May 1907. His performance as the soloist in his Piano Concerto No. 2 with an encore of his Prelude in C-sharp minor was a triumphant success.^[100] Rachmaninoff regained his sense of self-worth following the enthusiastic reaction to the premiere of his Symphony No. 2 in early 1908, which earned him his second Glinka Award and 1,000 roubles.^[101]

While in Dresden, Rachmaninoff agreed to perform and conduct in the United States as part of the 1909–10 concert season with conductor Max Fiedler and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.^[102] He spent time during breaks at Ivanovka finishing a new piece specially for the visit, his Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30, which he dedicated to Josef Hofmann.^[103] The tour saw the composer make 26 performances, 19 as pianist and 7 as conductor, which marked his first recitals without another performer in the program. His first appearance was at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for a recital on 4 November 1909. The second performance of the Piano Concerto No. 3 by the New York Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Gustav Mahler in New York City with the composer as soloist, an experience he personally treasured.^[104][105] Though the tour increased the composer’s popularity in America, he declined subsequent offers due to the length of time away from Russia and his family.^[106]

Upon his return home in February 1910, Rachmaninoff became vice president of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (IRMS), whose president was a member of the royal family.^[107] Later in 1910, Rachmaninoff completed his choral work Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31, but it was banned from performance as it did not follow the format of a typical liturgical church service.^[108] For two seasons between 1911 and 1913, Rachmaninoff was appointed permanent conductor of the Philharmonic Society of Moscow; he helped raise its profile and increase audience numbers and receipts.^[109] In 1912, Rachmaninoff left the IRMS when he learned that a musician in an administrative post was dismissed for being Jewish.^[110]

Soon after his resignation, an exhausted Rachmaninoff sought time for composition and took his family on holiday to Switzerland. They left after one month for Rome for a visit that became a particularly tranquil and influential period for the composer, who lived alone in a small apartment on Piazza di Spagna while his family stayed at a boardinghouse.^[111][112] While there he received an anonymous letter that contained a Russian translation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Bells by Konstantin Balmont, which affected him greatly, and he began work on his choral symphony of the same title, Op. 35, based on it.^[113] This period of composition ended abruptly when Rachmaninoff’s daughters contracted serious cases of typhoid and were treated in Berlin due to their father’s greater trust in German doctors. After six weeks, the Rachmaninoffs returned to their Moscow flat.^[114] The composer conducted The Bells at its premiere in Saint Petersburg in late 1913.^[115]

In January 1914, Rachmaninoff began a concert tour of England which was enthusiastically received.^[115] He was too afraid to travel alone following the death of Raoul Pugno of an unexpected heart attack in his hotel room which left the composer wary of a similar fate.^[114] Following the outbreak of the First World War later that year, his position of Inspector of Music at Nobility High School for Girls put him in the group of government servants which prevented him from joining the army, yet the composer made regular charitable donations for the war effort.^[116] In 1915, Rachmaninoff completed his second major choral work, All-Night Vigil (Op. 37).^[117] It was received so warmly at its Moscow premiere in aid of war relief that four subsequent performances were quickly scheduled.^[118]

Alexander Scriabin’s death in April 1915 was a tragedy for Rachmaninoff, who went on a piano recital tour devoted to his friend’s compositions to raise funds for Scriabin’s financially stricken widow.^[119] It marked his first public performances of works other than his own.^[120] During a vacation in Finland that summer, Rachmaninoff learned of Taneyev’s death, a loss which affected him greatly.^[121] By year’s end he had finished his 14 Romances, Op. 34, whose final section, Vocalise, became one of his most popular pieces.^[122]

Leaving Russia, immigration to the US, and concert pianist: 1917–1925[edit]

On the day the February 1917 Revolution began in Saint Petersburg, Rachmaninoff performed a piano recital in Moscow in aid of wounded Russian soldiers who had fought in the war.^[123] He returned to Ivanovka two months later, finding it in chaos after a group of Social Revolutionary Party members seized it as their own communal property.^[124] Despite having invested most of his earnings on the estate, Rachmaninoff left the property after three weeks, vowing never to return.^[125] It was soon confiscated by the communist authorities and became derelict.^[126] In June 1917, Rachmaninoff asked Siloti to produce visas for him and his family so they could leave Russia, but Siloti was unable to help. After a break with his family in the more peaceful Crimea, Rachmaninoff’s concert performance in Yalta on 5 September 1917 was to be his last in Russia. Upon returning to Moscow, the political tension surrounding the October Revolution found the composer keeping his family safe indoors and being involved in a collective at his apartment building where he attended committee meetings and kept guard at night. He completed revisions to his Piano Concerto No. 1 among gunshots and rallies outside.^[127][128]

Amidst such turmoil, Rachmaninoff received an unexpected offer to perform ten piano recitals across Scandinavia, which he immediately accepted, using it as an excuse to obtain permits so he and his family could leave the country.^[129] On 22 December 1917, they left Saint Petersburg by train to the Finnish border, from where they travelled through Finland on an open sled and train to Helsinki. Carrying what they could pack into their small suitcases, Rachmaninoff brought some sketches of compositions and scores to the first act of his unfinished opera Monna Vanna and Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Golden Cockerel. They arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, on 24 December.^[130] In January 1918, they relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, and, with the help of friend and composer Nikolai von Struve, settled on the ground floor of a house.^[131] In debt and in need of money, the 44-year-old Rachmaninoff chose performing as his main source of income, as a career solely in composition was too restrictive.^[132] His piano repertoire was small, which prompted the start of regular practice of his technique and learning new pieces to play. Rachmaninoff toured between February and October 1918.^[133][134]

During the Scandinavian tour, Rachmaninoff received three offers from the US: to become the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for two years, to conduct 110 concerts in 30 weeks for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and to give 25 piano recitals.^[134] He was worried about such a commitment in an unfamiliar country and had few good memories from his debut tour in 1909, so he declined all three. Not long after his decision, Rachmaninoff considered the United States financially advantageous as he could not support his family through composition alone. Unable to afford the travel fees, he was sent an advance loan for the journey by Russian banker and fellow emigre Alexander Kamenka.^[134] Money was also received from friends and admirers; pianist Ignaz Friedman contributed $2,000.^[132] On 1 November 1918, the Rachmaninoffs boarded the SS Bergensfjord in Oslo, Norway, bound for New York City, arriving eleven days later. News of the composer’s arrival spread, causing a crowd of musicians, artists, and fans to gather outside The Sherry-Netherland hotel, where he was staying.^[134]

Rachmaninoff quickly dealt with business, hiring a young woman^[who?] as his secretary, interpreter, and aide in dealing with American life.^[135] He reunited with Josef Hofmann, who informed several concert managers that the composer was available and suggested he choose Charles Ellis as his booking agent. Ellis organised 36 performances for Rachmaninoff for the upcoming 1918–1919 concert season; the first, a piano recital, took place on 8 December at Providence, Rhode Island. Rachmaninoff, still in recovery from a case of the Spanish flu, included his arrangement of «The Star-Spangled Banner» in the program.^[136][137] Before the tour he had received offers from numerous piano manufacturers to tour with their instruments; he chose Steinway, the only one that did not offer him money. Steinway’s association with Rachmaninoff continued for the rest of his life.^[138][139]

After the first tour ended in April 1919, Rachmaninoff took his family on a break to San Francisco. He recuperated and prepared for the upcoming season, a cycle that he would adopt for most of his remaining life. As a touring performer Rachmaninoff became financially secure without much difficulty, and the family lived an upper middle class life with servants, a chef, and chauffeur.^[140] They recreated the atmosphere of Ivanovka in their New York City apartment by entertaining Russian guests, employing Russians, and continuing to observe Russian customs.^[141] Despite the ability to speak some English, Rachmaninoff had his correspondence translated into Russian.^[142] He enjoyed some personal luxuries, including quality tailored suits and the latest model of cars.^[140]

In 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a recording contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company which earned him some much needed income and began his longtime association with RCA.^[138] During a family holiday in Goshen, New York, that summer he learned of von Struve’s accidental death, prompting Rachmaninoff to strengthen the ties he had with those still in Russia by arranging with his bank to send regular money and food parcels to his family, friends, students, and those in need.^[143][144] Early 1921 saw Rachmaninoff apply for documentation to visit Russia, the only time he would do so after leaving the country, but progress ceased when he underwent surgery for pain in his right temple. The operation failed to relieve his symptoms and relief only came after having dental work years later.^[143] After leaving hospital, he purchased an apartment on 33 Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River.^[143]

Rachmaninoff’s first visit to Europe since emigrating occurred in May 1922, with concerts in London.^[145] This was followed by the Rachmaninoffs and the Satins reuniting in Dresden, after which the composer prepared for a hectic 1922–1923 concert season of 71 performances in five months.^[146] For a while, he rented a railway carriage that was fitted with a piano and belongings to save time with suitcases.^[147] In 1924, Rachmaninoff declined an invitation to become conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.^[132] In the following year, after the death of the husband of his daughter Irina, he founded TAIR (Tatiana and Irina), a Paris publishing company named after his daughters that specialised in works by himself and other Russian composers.^[148]

Touring, final compositions, and Villa Senar: 1926–1942[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s life as a touring performer, and the demanding schedules that came with it, caused his compositional output to slow significantly. In the 24 years between his arrival in the US and his death, he completed just six new pieces, revised some of his earlier works, and wrote piano transcriptions for his live repertoire.^[149] He admitted that by leaving Russia, «I left behind my desire to compose: losing my country, I lost myself also».^[150] In 1926, having concentrated on touring for the past eight years, he took a year off and completed the Piano Concerto No. 4, which he had started in 1917, and Three Russian Songs, which he dedicated to Leopold Stokowski.^[151][152]

Rachmaninoff sought the company of fellow Russian musicians and befriended pianist Vladimir Horowitz in 1928.^[153] The men remained supportive of each other’s work, each making a point of attending concerts given by the other,^[154] and Horowitz remained a champion of Rachmaninoff’s works and in particular his Piano Concerto No. 3.^[155] In 1930, in a rare occurrence, Rachmaninoff allowed Italian composer Ottorino Respighi to orchestrate pieces from his Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 (1911) and the Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 (1917), giving Respighi the inspirations behind the compositions.^[156] In 1931, Rachmaninoff and several others signed an article in The New York Times that criticised the cultural policies of the Soviet Union.^[157] The composer’s music suffered a boycott in Russia as a result from the backlash in the Soviet press, lasting until 1933.^[145]

From 1929 to 1931, Rachmaninoff spent his summers in France at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines near Rambouillet, meeting with fellow Russian émigrés and his daughters. By 1930, his desire to compose had returned and sought a new location to write new pieces. He bought a plot of land near Hertenstein on the banks of Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, and oversaw the construction of his home which he named Villa Senar after the first two letters of his and his wife’s name, adding the «r» from the family name.^[145][158] Rachmaninoff spent his summers at Villa Senar until 1939, often with his daughters and grandchildren, with whom he would drive his motorboat on Lake Lucerne, one of his favourite activities.^[158] In the comfort of his own home, Rachmaninoff completed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934 and the Symphony No. 3 in 1936.

In October 1932, Rachmaninoff began a demanding concert season that consisted of 50 performances. The tour marked the fortieth anniversary of his debut as a pianist, for which several of his Russian friends now living in America sent him a scroll and wreath in celebration.^[159] The frail economic situation in the US resulted in the composer performing to smaller audiences, and he lost money in his investments and shares. The European leg in 1933 saw Rachmaninoff celebrate his sixtieth birthday among fellow musicians and friends, after which he retreated to Villa Senar for the summer.^[159] In May 1934, Rachmaninoff underwent a minor operation and two years later, he retreated to Aix-les-Bains in France to improve his arthritis.^[160] During a visit to Villa Senar in 1937, Rachmaninoff entered talks with choreographer Michel Fokine about a ballet based on Niccolò Paganini that was to feature his rhapsody. It premiered in London in 1939 with the composer’s daughters in attendance.^[161] In 1938, Rachmaninoff performed his Piano Concerto No. 2 at a charity jubilee concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate Henry Wood, founder of the Promenade concerts and an admirer of Rachmaninoff’s who wanted him to be the show’s only soloist. Rachmaninoff agreed, so long the performance was not broadcast on the radio due to his aversion for the medium.^[162]

The 1939–40 concert season saw Rachmaninoff perform fewer concerts than usual, totalling 43 appearances that were mostly in the US. The tour continued with dates across England, after which Rachmaninoff visited his daughter Tatyana in Paris followed by a return to Villa Senar. He was unable to perform for a while after slipping on the floor at the villa and injuring himself.^[163] He recovered enough to perform at the Lucerne International Music Festival on 11 August 1939. It was to be his final concert in Europe. He returned to Paris two days later, where he, his wife, and two daughters were together for the last time before the composer left a now war-torn Europe on 23 August.^[164][165] With financial help from Rachmaninoff, Ivan Ilyin was able to pay the bail and settle in Switzerland. Rachmaninoff would support the Soviet Union’s war effort against Nazi Germany throughout the course of World War II, donating receipts from many of his concerts that season in benefit of the Red Army.^[166]

Upon his return to the US, Rachmaninoff performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra in New York City with conductor Eugene Ormandy on 26 November and 3 December 1939, as part of the orchestra’s special series of concerts dedicated to the composer in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of his US debut.^[167] The final concert on 10 December saw Rachmaninoff conduct his Symphony No. 3 and The Bells, marking his first conducting performance since 1917.^[168] The concert season left Rachmaninoff tired, and he spent the summer resting from minor surgery at Orchard’s Point, an estate near Huntington, New York on Long Island.^[169] During this restful period Rachmaninoff completed his final composition, the Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. It is his only piece he composed in its entirety while living in the US. Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra premiered the piece in January 1941, which Rachmaninoff attended.^[167]

In December 1939, Rachmaninoff began an extensive recording period which lasted until February 1942 and included his Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 3 and Symphony No. 3 at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.^[168] In the early 1940s, Rachmaninoff was approached by the makers of the British film Dangerous Moonlight to write a short concerto-like piece for use in the film, but he declined, and instead the job went to Richard Addinsell, who wrote the Warsaw Concerto.

Illness, move to California, and death: 1942–43[edit]

In early 1942, Rachmaninoff was advised by his doctor to relocate to a warmer climate to improve his health after suffering from sclerosis, lumbago, neuralgia, high blood pressure, and headaches.^[170] After completing his final studio recording sessions during this time in February,^[171] a move to Long Island fell through after the composer and his wife expressed a greater interest in California, and initially settled in a leased home on Tower Road in Beverly Hills in May.^[170][167] In June they purchased a home at 610 North Elm Drive in Beverly Hills, living close to Horowitz who would often visit and perform piano duets with Rachmaninoff.^[172][164] Later in 1942, Rachmaninoff invited Igor Stravinsky to dinner, the two sharing their worries of a war-torn Russia and their children in France.^[173][174]

Shortly after a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1942, Rachmaninoff was suffering from lumbago and fatigue. He informed his doctor, Alexander Golitsyn, that the upcoming 1942–43 concert season would be his last, in order to dedicate his time to composition.^[175][167] The tour began on 12 October 1942 and the composer received many positive reviews from critics despite his deteriorating health.^[167] Rachmaninoff and his wife Natalia were among the 220 people who became naturalised American citizens at a ceremony held in New York City on 1 February 1943.^[152][176] Later that month he complained of persistent cough and back pain; a doctor diagnosed him with pleurisy and advised that a warmer climate would aid in his recovery. Rachmaninoff opted to continue with touring, but felt so ill during his travels to Florida that the remaining dates were cancelled and he returned to California by train, where an ambulance took him to hospital. It was then that Rachmaninoff was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma. His wife took Rachmaninoff home where he reunited with his daughter Irina.^[177] His last appearances as a concerto soloist—Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—were on February 11 and 12 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Hans Lange.^[178] On February 17, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, he gave his last recital, the program of which included Chopin’s Piano Sonata n°2 in B-flat minor, or Funeral Sonata — sadly appropriate for the occasion. ^{[179][180][181]}

Rachmaninoff’s health rapidly declined in the last week of March 1943. He lost his appetite, had constant pain in his arms and sides, and found it increasingly difficult to breathe. On 26 March, the composer lost consciousness and he died two days later, four days before his seventieth birthday.^[182] A message from several Moscow composers with greetings had arrived too late for Rachmaninoff to read it.^[182] His funeral took place at the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church on Micheltorena Street in Silver Lake.^[183] In his will, Rachmaninoff wished to be buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, where Scriabin, Taneyev, and Chekhov were buried, but his American citizenship made that impossible.^[184] Instead, he was interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.^[185]

In August 2015, Russia announced its intention to seek reburial of Rachmaninoff’s remains in Russia, claiming that Americans have neglected the composer’s grave while attempting to «shamelessly privatize» his name. The composer’s descendants have resisted this idea, pointing out that he died in the U.S. after spending decades outside of Russia in self-imposed political exile.^[186][187]

After Rachmaninoff’s death, poet Marietta Shaginyan published fifteen letters they exchanged from their first contact in February 1912 and their final meeting in July 1917.^[188] The nature of their relationship bordered on romantic, but was primarily intellectual and emotional. Shaginyan and the poetry she shared with Rachmaninoff have been cited as the inspiration for his Six Songs, Op. 38.^[189]

Music[edit]

Works[edit]

Rachmaninoff wrote five works for piano and orchestra: four concertos—No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1 (1891, revised 1917), No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 (1900–01), No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909), and No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 (1926, revised 1928 and 1941)—and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Of the concertos, the Second and Third are the most popular.^[190]

Rachmaninoff also composed a number of works for orchestra alone. The three symphonies: No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 (1895), No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 (1907), and No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 (1935–36). Widely spaced chronologically, the symphonies represent three distinct phases in his compositional development. The Second has been the most popular of the three since its first performance. Among Rachmaninoff’s other orchestral works are his Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), his last major composition, and his four symphonic poems: Prince Rostislav, The Rock (Op. 7), Caprice bohémien (Op. 12), and The Isle of the Dead (Op. 29).

As Rachmaninoff was a skilled pianist, a large portion of his compositional output consists of works for solo piano. They include 24 Preludes traversing all 24 major and minor keys; Prelude in C-sharp minor (Op. 3, No. 2) from Morceaux de fantaisie (Op. 3); ten preludes in Op. 23; and thirteen in Op. 32. Especially difficult are the two sets of Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 and 39, which are very demanding study pictures. Stylistically, Op. 33 hearkens back to the preludes, while Op. 39 shows the influences of Scriabin and Prokofiev. There are also the Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), the Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22), and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli (Op. 42). He wrote two piano sonatas, both of which are large scale and virtuosic in their technical demands. Rachmaninoff also composed works for two pianos, four hands, including two Suites (the first subtitled Fantasie-Tableaux), a version of the Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), and an arrangement of the C-sharp minor Prelude, as well as a Russian Rhapsody, and he arranged his First Symphony (below) for piano four hands. Both these works were published posthumously.

Rachmaninoff wrote two major a cappella choral works—the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the All-Night Vigil (also known as the Vespers). It was the fifth movement of All-Night Vigil that Rachmaninoff requested to have sung at his funeral. Other choral works include a choral symphony, The Bells; the cantata Spring; the Three Russian Songs; and an early Concerto for Choir (a cappella).

He completed three one-act operas: Aleko (1892), The Miserly Knight (1903), and Francesca da Rimini (1904). He started three others, notably Monna Vanna, based on the work by Maurice Maeterlinck; copyright in this had been extended to the composer Février,^[191] and, though the restriction did not pertain to Russia, Rachmaninoff dropped the project after completing Act I in piano vocal score in 1908.^[d] Aleko is regularly performed and has been recorded complete at least eight times, and filmed. The Miserly Knight adheres to Pushkin’s «little tragedy». Francesca da Rimini exists somewhat in the shadow^{[citation needed]} of the opera of the same name by Riccardo Zandonai.

Rachmaninoff, similarly to many Russian composers of his time, wrote relatively little chamber music.^[192] His output in the genre includes two piano trios, both of which are named Trio Elégiaque (the second of which is a memorial tribute to Tchaikovsky), a Cello Sonata, and the Morceaux de salon for violin and piano.

Rachmaninoff composed a total of 83 songs (románsy in Russian) for voice and piano, all of which were written before he left Russia permanently in 1917.^[193][194] Most of his songs were set to texts by Russian romantic writers and poets,^[193] such as Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Afanasy Fet, Anton Chekhov and Aleksey Tolstoy, among others. His most popular song is the wordless Vocalise, which he later arranged for orchestra.^[195]

Compositional style[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s style was initially influenced by Tchaikovsky. By the mid-1890s, however, his compositions began showing a more individual tone. His First Symphony has many original features. Its brutal gestures and uncompromising power of expression were unprecedented in Russian music at the time. Its flexible rhythms, sweeping lyricism, and stringent economy of thematic material were all features he kept and refined in subsequent works. Following the poor reception of the symphony and three years of inactivity, Rachmaninoff’s individual style developed significantly. He started leaning towards sumptuous harmonies and broadly lyrical, often passionate melodies. His orchestration became subtler and more varied, with textures carefully contrasted. Overall, his writing became more concise.^[196]

Especially important is Rachmaninoff’s use of unusually widely spaced chords for bell-like sounds: this occurs in many pieces, most notably in the choral symphony The Bells, the Second Piano Concerto, the E-flat major Étude-Tableaux (Op. 33, No. 7), and the B minor Prelude (Op. 32, No. 10). «It is not enough to say that the church bells of Novgorod, St Petersburg and Moscow influenced Rachmaninov and feature prominently in his music. This much is self-evident. What is extraordinary is the variety of bell sounds and breadth of structural and other functions they fulfill.»^[197] He was also fond of Russian Orthodox chants. He used them most perceptibly in his Vespers, but many of his melodies found their origins in these chants. The opening melody of the First Symphony is derived from chants. (The opening melody of the Third Piano Concerto, on the other hand, is not derived from chants; when asked, Rachmaninoff said that «it had [written] itself».)^[198][199]

Rachmaninoff’s frequently used motifs include the Dies Irae, often just the fragments of the first phrase.
Rachmaninoff had great command of counterpoint and fugal writing, thanks to his studies with Taneyev. The above-mentioned occurrence of the Dies Irae in the Second Symphony (1907) is but a small example of this. Very characteristic of his writing is chromatic counterpoint. This talent was paired with a confidence in writing in both large- and small-scale forms. The Third Piano Concerto especially shows a structural ingenuity, while each of the preludes grows from a tiny melodic or rhythmic fragment into a taut, powerfully evocative miniature, crystallizing a particular mood or sentiment while employing a complexity of texture, rhythmic flexibility and a pungent chromatic harmony.^[200]

His compositional style had already begun changing before the October Revolution deprived him of his homeland. The harmonic writing in The Bells was composed in 1913 but not published until 1920. This may have been due to Rachmaninoff’s main publisher, Gutheil, having died in 1914 and Gutheil’s catalog being acquired by Serge Koussevitsky.^[201] It became as advanced as in any of the works Rachmaninoff would write in Russia, partly because the melodic material has a harmonic aspect which arises from its chromatic ornamentation.^[202] Further changes are apparent in the revised First Piano Concerto, which he finished just before leaving Russia, as well as in the Op. 38 songs and Op. 39 Études-Tableaux. In both these sets Rachmaninoff was less concerned with pure melody than with coloring. His near-Impressionist style perfectly matched the texts by symbolist poets.^[203] The Op. 39 Études-Tableaux are among the most demanding pieces he wrote for any medium, both technically and in the sense that the player must see beyond any technical challenges to a considerable array of emotions, then unify all these aspects.^[204]

The composer’s friend Vladimir Wilshaw noticed this compositional change continuing in the early 1930s, with a difference between the sometimes very extroverted Op. 39 Études-Tableaux (the composer had broken a string on the piano at one performance) and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli (Op. 42, 1931). The variations show an even greater textural clarity than in the Op. 38 songs, combined with a more abrasive use of chromatic harmony and a new rhythmic incisiveness. This would be characteristic of all his later works—the Piano Concerto No. 4 (Op. 40, 1926) is composed in a more emotionally introverted style, with a greater clarity of texture. Nevertheless, some of his most beautiful (nostalgic and melancholy) melodies occur in the Third Symphony, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Symphonic Dances.^[203]

Music theorist and musicologist Joseph Yasser, as early as 1951, uncovered progressive tendencies in Rachmaninoff’s compositions. He uncovered Rachmaninoff’s use of an intra-tonal chromaticism that stands in notable contrast to the inter-tonal chromaticism of Richard Wagner and strikingly contrasts the extra-tonal chromaticism of the more radical twentieth century composers like Arnold Schoenberg. Yasser postulated that a variable, subtle, but unmistakable characteristic use of this intra-tonal chromaticism permeated Rachmaninoff’s music.^[205]

Reputation and legacy[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions before his music gained steady recognition around the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff’s music as «monotonous in texture … consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes» and predicted that his popular success was «not likely to last».^[206][207] To this, Harold C. Schonberg, in his Lives of the Great Composers, responded: «It is one of the most outrageously snobbish and even stupid statements ever to be found in a work that is supposed to be an objective reference.»^[206]

The Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris, as well as streets in Veliky Novgorod (which is close to his birthplace) and Tambov, are named after the composer. In 1986, the Moscow Conservatory dedicated a concert hall on its premises to Rachmaninoff, designating the 252-seat auditorium Rachmaninoff Hall, and in 1999 the «Monument to Sergei Rachmaninoff» was installed in Moscow. A separate monument to Rachmaninoff was unveiled in Veliky Novgorod, near his birthplace, on 14 June 2009. The 2015 musical Preludes by Dave Malloy depicts Rachmaninoff’s struggle with depression and writer’s block.

A statue marked «Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert», designed and sculpted by Victor Bokarev, stands at the World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a tribute to the composer. In Alexandria, Virginia in 2019, a Rachmaninoff concert performed by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra played to wide acclaim. Attendees were treated to a talk prior to the performance by Rachmaninoff’s great-granddaughter, Natalie Wanamaker Javier, who joined Rachmaninoff scholar Francis Crociata and Library of Congress music specialist Kate Rivers on a panel of discussants about the composer and his contributions.^[208]

Pianism[edit]

Rachmaninoff ranked among the finest pianists of his time,^[209] along with Leopold Godowsky, Ignaz Friedman, Moriz Rosenthal, Josef Lhévinne, Ferruccio Busoni, and Josef Hofmann, and he was famed for possessing a clean and virtuosic technique. His playing was marked by precision, rhythmic drive, notable use of staccato and the ability to maintain clarity when playing works with complex textures. Rachmaninoff applied these qualities in music by Chopin, including the B-flat minor Piano Sonata. Rachmaninoff’s repertoire, excepting his own works, consisted mainly of standard 19th century virtuoso works plus music by Bach, Beethoven, Borodin, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Tchaikovsky.^[210]

The two pieces Rachmaninoff singled out for praise from Rubinstein’s concerts became cornerstones for his own recital programs. The compositions were Beethoven’s Appassionata and Chopin’s Funeral March Sonata. He may have based his interpretation of the Chopin sonata on that of Rubinstein. Rachmaninoff biographer Barrie Martyn points out similarities between written accounts of Rubinstein’s interpretation and Rachmaninoff’s audio recording of the work.^[211]

Technique[edit]

Rachmaninoff possessed large hands,^[212] with which he could easily maneuver through the most complex chordal configurations. His left hand technique was unusually powerful. His playing was marked by definition—where other pianists’ playing became blurry-sounding from overuse of the pedal or deficiencies in finger technique, Rachmaninoff’s textures were always crystal clear. Only Josef Hofmann and Josef Lhévinne shared this kind of clarity with him.^[213] All three men had Anton Rubinstein as a model for this kind of playing—Hofmann as a student of Rubinstein’s,^[214] Rachmaninoff from hearing his famous series of historical recitals in Moscow while studying with Zverev,^[215] and Lhévinne from hearing and playing with him.

Tone[edit]

Of Rachmaninoff’s tone, Arthur Rubinstein wrote:

I was always under the spell of his glorious and inimitable tone which could make me forget my uneasiness about his too rapidly fleeting fingers and his exaggerated rubatos. There was always the irresistible sensuous charm, not unlike Kreisler’s.^[216]

Coupled to this tone was a vocal quality not unlike that attributed to Chopin’s playing. With Rachmaninoff’s extensive operatic experience, he was a great admirer of fine singing. As his records demonstrate, he possessed a tremendous ability to make a musical line sing, no matter how long the notes or how complex the supporting texture, with most of his interpretations taking on a narrative quality. With the stories he told at the keyboard came multiple voices—a polyphonic dialogue, not the least in terms of dynamics. His 1940 recording of his transcription of the song «Daisies» captures this quality extremely well. On the recording, separate musical strands enter as if from various human voices in eloquent conversation. This ability came from an exceptional independence of fingers and hands.^[217]

Interpretations[edit]

Regardless of the music, Rachmaninoff always planned his performances carefully. He based his interpretations on the theory that each piece of music has a «culminating point». Regardless of where that point was or at which dynamic within that piece, the performer had to know how to approach it with absolute calculation and precision; otherwise, the whole construction of the piece could crumble and the piece could become disjointed. This was a practice he learned from Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin, a staunch friend.^[210] Paradoxically, Rachmaninoff often sounded like he was improvising, though he actually was not. While his interpretations were mosaics of tiny details, when those mosaics came together in performance, they might, according to the tempo of the piece being played, fly past at great speed, giving the impression of instant thought.^[218]

One advantage Rachmaninoff had in this building process over most of his contemporaries was in approaching the pieces he played from the perspective of a composer rather than that of an interpreter. He believed «interpretation demands something of the creative instinct. If you are a composer, you have an affinity with other composers. You can make contact with their imaginations, knowing something of their problems and their ideals. You can give their works color. That is the most important thing for me in my interpretations, color. So you make music live. Without color it is dead.»^[219] Nevertheless, Rachmaninoff also possessed a far better sense of structure than many of his contemporaries, such as Hofmann, or the majority of pianists from the previous generation, judging from their respective recordings.^[217]

A recording which showcases Rachmaninoff’s approach is the Liszt Second Polonaise, recorded in 1925. Percy Grainger, who had been influenced by the composer and Liszt specialist Ferruccio Busoni, had himself recorded the same piece a few years earlier. Rachmaninoff’s performance is far more taut and concentrated than Grainger’s. The Russian’s drive and monumental conception bear a considerable difference to the Australian’s more delicate perceptions. Grainger’s textures are elaborate. Rachmaninoff shows the filigree as essential to the work’s structure, not simply decorative.^[220]

Hand size and medical speculations[edit]

Along with his musical gifts, Rachmaninoff possessed physical gifts that placed him in good stead as a pianist, including large hands with a gigantic finger stretch. Cyril Smith noted that Rachmaninoff could play a twelfth with the left hand, and his right hand could play the notes C (index), E (thumb), G, C, and E.^[221][222]

His hand size, in addition to his considerable height, slender frame, long limbs, narrow head, prominent ears, and thin nose has led to the suggestion that he may have had Marfan syndrome, a hereditary disorder of the connective tissue. This syndrome would have accounted for several minor ailments he suffered all his life, including back pain, arthritis, eye strain, and bruising of the fingertips.^[223] An article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, however, pointed out that Rachmaninoff did not show many of the typical signs of Marfan syndrome, and instead suggested that he may have had acromegaly, which, the article speculated, would possibly have accounted for stiffness Rachmaninoff experienced in his hands, and for the repeated periods of depression he experienced throughout his life, and could have possibly even been connected to his melanoma.^[224]

Recordings[edit]

Upon arriving in America, Rachmaninoff’s poor financial situation prompted him in 1919 to record a selection of piano pieces for Edison Records on their «Diamond Disc» records, in a limited contract for ten released sides.^[225] Rachmaninoff felt his performances varied in quality and requested final approval prior to a commercial release. Edison agreed, but still issued multiple takes, an unusual practice which was standard at Edison Records. Rachmaninoff and Edison Records were pleased with the released discs and wished to record more, but Edison refused, saying the ten sides were sufficient. This, in addition to technical issues in the recordings and Edison’s lack of musical taste, led to Rachmaninoff’s annoyance with the company, and as soon as his contract ended he left Edison Records.^[226]

In 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor).^[227] Unlike Edison, the company was pleased to comply with his requests, and proudly advertised Rachmaninoff as one of their prominent recording artists. He continued to record for Victor until 1942, when the American Federation of Musicians imposed a recording ban on their members in a strike over royalty payments. Rachmaninoff died in March 1943, over a year and a half before RCA Victor settled with the union and resumed commercial recording activity.

External audio
You may hear Rachmaninoff performing Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 Here on archive.org

When Rachmaninoff recorded his works, he would seek perfection, often re-recording them until he was satisfied.^[228][229] Particularly renowned are his renditions of Schumann’s Carnaval and Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, along with many shorter pieces. He recorded all four of his piano concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra; the first, third, and fourth concertos were recorded with Eugene Ormandy in 1939–41, and two versions of the second concerto with Leopold Stokowski in 1924 and 1929.^[230] He also made a recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, soon after its first performance (1934) with the Philadelphians under Stokowski, in addition to three recordings he made as conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra, playing his own Third Symphony, his symphonic poem Isle of the Dead, and his orchestration of Vocalise.^[230][e]

Rachmaninoff was also involved in various ways with music on piano rolls. From 1919 to 1929 he made 35 piano rolls (12 of which were his own compositions), for the American Piano Company (Ampico)’s reproducing piano.^[231][232] For demonstration purposes, he recorded the solo part of his Second Piano Concerto for Ampico, though only the second movement was used publicly and has survived. He continued to record until around 1929, though his last roll, the Chopin Scherzo in B-flat minor, was not published until October 1933.^[233]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

Books[edit]

Journals[edit]

External links[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation and the Rachmaninoff Network

Performances and Recordings[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Performance Diary
• Complete list of Rachmaninoff’s performances as a conductor at the Wayback Machine (archived 27 October 2009)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

Music scores[edit]

• Works by Sergei Rachmaninoff at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Sergei Rachmaninoff at Internet Archive
• Free scores (in Italian)
• Free scores by Sergei Rachmaninoff at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Sergei Rachmaninoff in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

Other[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff archive, 1872-1992 at the Library of Congress
• «Discovering Rachmaninov». BBC Radio 3.
• Sergei Rachmaninoff discography at MusicBrainz
• Sergei Rachmaninoff at AllMusic

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff in 1921
Born	1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 Semyonovo, Staraya Russa, Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	28 March 1943 (aged 69) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Notable work	List of compositions
Signature

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. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness and rich orchestral colours.^[4] The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff’s compositional output and he made a point of using his skills as a performer to fully explore the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument.

Born into a musical family, Rachmaninoff took up the piano at the age of four. He studied with Anton Arensky and Sergei Taneyev at the Moscow Conservatory and graduated in 1892, having already composed several piano and orchestral pieces. In 1897, following the disastrous premiere of his Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninoff entered a four-year depression and composed little until successful supportive therapy allowed him to complete his enthusiastically received Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1901. In the course of the next sixteen years, Rachmaninoff conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre, relocated to Dresden, Germany, and toured the United States for the first time.

Following the Russian Revolution, Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia, and in 1918 they settled in New York City. With his primary source of income coming from performances as a pianist and a conductor, Rachmaninoff had little time to compose. Because of this, he completed just six works between 1918 and 1943, including the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 3, and Symphonic Dances. By 1942, his declining health led to his relocation to Beverly Hills, California, and later became a US citizen a few weeks before he died of advanced melanoma in 1943.

Life and career[edit]

Ancestry and early years: 1873–1885[edit]

Rachmaninoff was born on 1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 into a family of Russian aristocracy in the Russian Empire.^[c] The family tradition claims descent from a legendary Vasily, nicknamed «Rachman», a supposed grandson of Stephen III of Moldavia.^[5][6] Rachmaninoff’s family had strong musical and military leanings. His paternal grandfather, Arkady Alexandrovich, was a musician who had taken lessons from Irish composer John Field.^[5][7] His father, Vasily Arkadievich Rachmaninoff (1841–1916), was an army officer and amateur pianist who married Lyubov Petrovna Butakova (1853–1929), the daughter of a wealthy army general who gave him five estates as part of her dowry. The couple had three sons and three daughters, Sergei being their third child.^[8][9][10]

Rachmaninoff was born in the family estate in the village of Semyonovo, near Staraya Russa, Novgorod Governorate. His birth was registered in Semyonovo church book and signed by Priest Platon Savitsky and acolyte Peter Lubochsky.^[11][9] After Sergei turned four, the family moved to another house in Oneg estate, about 110 miles north of Semyonovo, and the Semyonovo estate was sold in 1879 by Rachmaninoff’s father. Young Sergei Rachmaninoff was raised in Oneg estate from age four until aged nine, and he mistakenly cited it as his birthplace in his adult life.^[12] Rachmaninoff began piano and music lessons organized by his mother at age four.^[12] She noticed his ability to reproduce passages from memory without a wrong note. Upon hearing news of the boy’s gift, Arkady suggested she hire Anna Ornatskaya, a teacher and recent graduate of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, to live with the family and begin formal teaching. Rachmaninoff dedicated his famous romance for voice and piano «Spring Waters» from 12 Romances, Op. 14 to Ornatskaya.^[8]

Rachmaninoff’s father, who wanted him to join the military, had to sell the five estates one by one to pay his debts due to his financial incompetence and therefore could not afford an expensive military career for him.^[13][14] The last estate in Oneg was auctioned off in 1882,^[10] and the family moved to a small flat in Saint Petersburg.^[15] In 1883, Ornatskaya arranged for Rachmaninoff, now 10, to study music at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Later that year, his sister Sofia died of diphtheria, and his father left the family for Moscow.^[16] His maternal grandmother stepped in to help raise the children with particular focus on their religious life, regularly taking Rachmaninoff to Russian Orthodox Church services where he first encountered liturgical chants and church bells, two features he would incorporate in his compositions.^[17]

In 1885, Rachmaninoff suffered a further loss when his sister Yelena died at age 18 of pernicious anaemia.^[18] She was an important musical influence on Rachmaninoff and had introduced him to the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.^[19] As a respite, his grandmother took him to a farm retreat by the Volkhov River.^[20] At the Conservatory, however, he had adopted a relaxed attitude, played truant, failed his general education classes and purposely altered his report cards.^[21] Rachmaninoff performed at events held at the Moscow Conservatory during this time, including those attended by the Grand Duke Konstantin and other notable figures. However, upon his failing his spring exams, Ornatskaya notified his mother that his admission to further education might be revoked.^[20] His mother then consulted with Alexander Siloti, her nephew and an accomplished pianist and student of Franz Liszt. He recommended transferring Rachmaninoff to the Moscow Conservatory to receive lessons from his former teacher, the more strict Nikolai Zverev,^[22] which lasted until 1888.^[23]

Moscow Conservatory and first compositions: 1885–1894[edit]

In the autumn of 1885, Rachmaninoff moved in with Zverev and stayed for almost four years, during which he befriended fellow pupil Alexander Scriabin.^[24] After two years of tuition, the fifteen year old Rachmaninoff was awarded a Rubinstein scholarship,^[25] and graduated from the lower division of the Conservatory to become a pupil of Siloti in advanced piano, Sergei Taneyev in counterpoint, and Anton Arensky in free composition.^[26][27] In 1889, a rift formed between Rachmaninoff and Zverev, now his adviser, after Zverev turned down the composer’s request for assistance in renting a piano and greater privacy to compose.^[28][29] Zverev, who believed composition was a waste for talented pianists, refused to speak to Rachmaninoff for some time and organised for him to live with his uncle and aunt Satin and their family in Moscow.^[30] Rachmaninoff then found his first romance in Vera, the youngest daughter of the neighbouring Skalon family, but her mother objected and forbade Rachmaninoff to write to her, leaving him to correspond with her older sister Natalia.^[31] It is from these letters that many of Rachmaninoff’s earliest compositions can be traced.^[22]

Rachmaninoff spent his summer break in 1890 with the Satins at Ivanovka, their private country estate near Tambov, to which the composer would return many times until 1917.^[32] The peaceful and bucolic surroundings became a source of inspiration for the composer who completed many compositions while at the estate, including his Op. 1, the Piano Concerto No. 1, which he completed in July 1891, and dedicated to Siloti.^[33][34] Also that year, Rachmaninoff completed the one-movement Youth Symphony and the symphonic poem Prince Rostislav.^[35] Siloti left the Moscow Conservatory after the academic year ended in 1891 and Rachmaninoff asked to take his final piano exams a year early to avoid being assigned a different teacher. Despite little faith from Siloti and Conservatory director Vasily Safonov as he had just three weeks’ preparation, Rachmaninoff received assistance from a recent graduate who was familiar with the tests, and passed each one with honours in July 1891. Three days later, he passed his annual theory and composition exams.^[36] His progress was unexpectedly halted in the latter half of 1891 when he contracted a severe case of malaria during his summer break at Ivanovka.^[37][38]

During his final year at the Conservatory, Rachmaninoff performed his first independent concert, where he premiered his Trio élégiaque No. 1 in January 1892, followed by a performance of the first movement of his Piano Concerto No. 1 two months later.^[39][40] His request to take his final theory and composition exams a year early was also granted, for which he wrote Aleko, a one-act opera based on the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin, in seventeen days.^[41][34] It premiered in May 1892 at the Bolshoi Theatre; Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff for his work.^[42] Rachmaninoff believed it was «sure to fail», but the production was so successful the theatre agreed to produce it starring singer Feodor Chaliapin, who would go on to become a lifelong friend.^[43][22] Aleko earned Rachmaninoff the highest mark at the Conservatory and a Great Gold Medal, a distinction only previously awarded to Taneyev and Arseny Koreshchenko.^[22] Zverev, a member of the exam committee, gave the composer his gold watch, thus ending years of estrangement.^[44] On 29 May 1892, the Conservatory issued Rachmaninoff a diploma which allowed him to officially style himself as a «Free Artist».^[45]

Upon graduating, Rachmaninoff continued to compose and signed a 500-ruble publishing contract with Gutheil, under which Aleko, Two Pieces (Op. 2) and Six Songs (Op. 4) were among the first published.^[44] The composer had previously earned 15 rubles a month in giving piano lessons.^[46] He spent the summer of 1892 on the estate of Ivan Konavalov, a rich landowner in the Kostroma Oblast, and moved back with the Satins in the Arbat District.^[47] Delays in getting paid by Gutheil saw Rachmaninoff seeking other sources of income which led to an engagement at the Moscow Electrical Exhibition in September 1892, his public debut as a pianist, where he premiered his landmark Prelude in C-sharp minor from his five-part piano composition piece Morceaux de fantaisie (Op. 3). He was paid 50 rubles for his appearance.^[48][44] It was well received and became one of his most popular and enduring pieces.^[49][50] In 1893, he completed his tone poem The Rock, which he dedicated to Rimsky-Korsakov.^[51]

In 1893, Rachmaninoff spent a productive summer with friends at an estate in Kharkiv Oblast where he composed several pieces, including Fantaisie-Tableaux (aka Suite No. 1, Op. 5) and Morceaux de salon (Op. 10).^[52][53] In September, he published Six Songs (Op. 8), a group of songs set to translations by Aleksey Pleshcheyev of Ukrainian and German poems.^[54] Rachmaninoff returned to Moscow, where Tchaikovsky agreed to conduct The Rock for an upcoming European tour. During his subsequent trip to Kyiv to conduct performances of Aleko, he learned of Tchaikovsky’s death from cholera.^[55] The news left Rachmaninoff stunned; later that day, he started work on his Trio élégiaque No. 2 for piano, violin and cello as a tribute, which he completed within a month.^[56][57] The music’s aura of gloom reveals the depth and sincerity of Rachmaninoff’s grief for his idol.^[58] The piece debuted at the first concert devoted to Rachmaninoff’s compositions on 31 January 1894.^[57]

Symphony No. 1, depression, and conducting debut: 1894–1900[edit]

Rachmaninoff entered a decline following Tchaikovsky’s death. He lacked the inspiration to compose, and the management of the Grand Theatre had lost interest in showcasing Aleko and dropped it from the program.^[59] To earn more money, Rachmaninoff returned to giving piano lessons—which he hated^[60]—and in late 1895, agreed to a three-month tour across Russia with a program shared by Italian violinist Teresina Tua. The tour was not enjoyable for the composer and he quit before it ended, thus sacrificing his performance fees. In a more desperate plea for money, Rachmaninoff pawned his gold watch given to him by Zverev.^[61] In September 1895, before the tour started, Rachmaninoff completed his Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13), a work conceived in January and based on chants he had heard in Russian Orthodox church services.^[61] Rachmaninoff had worked so hard on it that he could not return to composition until he heard the piece performed.^[62] This lasted until October 1896, when «a rather large sum of money» that was not his was stolen from Rachmaninoff during a train journey and he had to work to recoup the losses. Among the pieces composed were Six Choruses (Op. 15) and Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), his final completed composition for several months.^[63]

Rachmaninoff’s fortunes took a turn following the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 on 28 March 1897 in one of a long-running series of Russian Symphony Concerts devoted to Russian music. The piece was brutally panned by critic and nationalist composer César Cui, who likened it to a depiction of the seven plagues of Egypt, suggesting it would be admired by the «inmates» of a music conservatory in Hell.^[64] The deficiencies of the performance, conducted by Alexander Glazunov, were not commented on by other critics,^[58] but according to a memoir from Alexander Ossovsky, a close friend of Rachmaninoff, Glazunov made poor use of rehearsal time, and the concert’s program itself, which contained two other premières, was also a factor. Other witnesses, including Rachmaninoff’s wife, suggested that Glazunov, an alcoholic, may have been drunk.^[65][66][67] Following the reaction to his first symphony, Rachmaninoff wrote in May 1897 that «I’m not at all affected» by its lack of success or critical reaction, but felt «deeply distressed and heavily depressed by the fact that my Symphony … did not please me at all after its first rehearsal».^[68] He thought its performance was poor, particularly Glazunov’s contribution.^[66] The piece was not performed for the rest of Rachmaninoff’s life, but he revised it into a four-hand piano arrangement in 1898.^[69]

Rachmaninoff fell into a depression that lasted for three years, during which he had writer’s block and composed almost nothing. He described this time as «Like the man who had suffered a stroke and for a long time had lost the use of his head and hands».^[69] He made a living by giving piano lessons.^[70] A stroke of good fortune came from Savva Mamontov, a Russian industrialist and founder of the Moscow Private Russian Opera, who offered Rachmaninoff the post of assistant conductor for the 1897–98 season. The cash-strapped composer accepted, conducting Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns as his first opera on 12 October 1897.^[71] By the end of February 1899, Rachmaninoff attempted composition and completed two short piano pieces, Morceau de Fantaisie and Fughetta in F major. Two months later, he travelled to London for the first time to perform and conduct, earning positive reviews.^[72]

During his time conducting in Moscow, Rachmaninoff was engaged to Natalia Satina. However, the Russian Orthodox church and Satina’s parents opposed their announcement, thwarting their plans for marriage. Rachmaninoff’s depression worsened in late 1899 following an unproductive summer; he composed one song, «Fate», which later became one of his Twelve Songs (Op. 21), and left compositions for a proposed return visit to London unfulfilled.^[73] In an attempt to revive his desire to compose, his aunt arranged for the writer Leo Tolstoy, whom Rachmaninoff greatly admired, to have the composer visit his home and receive words of encouragement. The visit was unsuccessful, doing nothing to help him compose with the fluency he had before.^[74][75]

Recovery, emergence, and conducting: 1900–1906[edit]

By 1900, Rachmaninoff had become so self-critical that, despite numerous attempts, composing had become near impossible. His aunt then suggested professional help, having received successful treatment from a family friend, physician and amateur musician Nikolai Dahl, to which Rachmaninoff agreed without resistance.^[76] Between January and April 1900, Rachmaninoff underwent hypnotherapy and supportive therapy sessions with Dahl on a daily basis,^[77] specifically structured to improve his sleep patterns, mood, and appetite and reignite his desire to compose. That summer, Rachmaninoff felt that «new musical ideas began to stir» and successfully resumed composition.^[78] His first fully completed work, the Piano Concerto No. 2, was finished in April 1901; it is dedicated to Dahl. After the second and third movement premiered in December 1900 with Rachmaninoff as the soloist, the entire piece was first performed in 1901 and was enthusiastically received.^[79] The piece earned the composer a Glinka Award, the first of five awarded to him throughout his life, and a 500-ruble prize in 1904.^[80]

Amid his professional career success, Rachmaninoff married Natalia Satina on 12 May 1902 after a three-year engagement.^[81] Because they were first cousins, the marriage was forbidden under a Canon law imposed by the Russian Orthodox Church; in addition, Rachmaninoff was not a regular church attendee and avoided confession, two things a priest would have had to confirm that he did in signing a marriage certificate.^[82] To circumvent the church’s opposition, the couple used their military background and organised a small ceremony in a chapel in a Moscow suburb army barracks with Siloti and the cellist Anatoliy Brandukov as best men.^[83][84] They received the smaller of two houses at the Ivanovka estate as a present and went on a three-month honeymoon across Europe.^[81] Upon their return, they settled in Moscow, where Rachmaninoff resumed work as a music teacher at St. Catherine’s Women’s College and the Elizabeth Institute.^[85] By February 1903 he had completed his largest piano composition of his career at the time, the Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22).^[85] On 14 May 1903, the couple’s first daughter, Irina Sergeyevna Rachmaninova, was born.^[86] During their summer break at Ivanovka, the family was struck with illness.^[87]

In 1904, in a career change, Rachmaninoff agreed to become the conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre for two seasons. He earned a mixed reputation during his time at the post, enforcing strict discipline and demanding high standards of performance.^[88] Influenced by Richard Wagner, he pioneered the modern arrangement of the orchestra players in the pit and the modern custom of standing while conducting. He also worked with each soloist on their part, even accompanying them on the piano.^[89] The theatre staged the premiere of his operas The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini.^[90]

In the course of his second season as conductor, Rachmaninoff lost interest in his post. The social and political unrest surrounding the 1905 Revolution was beginning to affect the performers and theatre staff, who staged protests and demands for improved wages and conditions. Rachmaninoff remained largely uninterested in the politics surrounding him and the revolutionary spirit had made working conditions increasingly difficult.^[91] In February 1906, after conducting 50 performances in the first season and 39 in the second, Rachmaninoff handed in his resignation.^[92] He then took his family on an extended tour around Italy with the hope of completing new works, but illness struck his wife and daughter, and they returned to Ivanovka.^[93] Money soon became an issue following Rachmaninoff’s resignation from his posts at St. Catherine’s and Elizabeth schools, leaving him only the option of composing.^[94]

Move to Dresden and first US tour: 1906–1917[edit]

Increasingly unhappy with the political turmoil in Russia and in need of seclusion from his lively social life to be able to compose, Rachmaninoff with his family left Moscow for Dresden, Germany, in November 1906.^[95] The city had become a favourite of both Rachmaninoff and Natalia, and they stayed there until 1909, only returning to Russia for their summer breaks at Ivanovka.^[96] In Paris, during the summer of 1907, he saw a black and white reproduction of The Isle of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin, which served as the inspiration for his orchestral work of the same name, Op. 29.^[97] Despite occasional periods of depression, apathy, and little faith in any of his work,^[98] Rachmaninoff started on his Symphony No. 2 (Op. 27) in 1906, twelve years after the disastrous premiere of his first.^[99] While writing it, Rachmaninoff and the family returned to Russia, but the composer detoured to Paris to take part in Sergei Diaghilev’s season of Russian concerts in May 1907. His performance as the soloist in his Piano Concerto No. 2 with an encore of his Prelude in C-sharp minor was a triumphant success.^[100] Rachmaninoff regained his sense of self-worth following the enthusiastic reaction to the premiere of his Symphony No. 2 in early 1908, which earned him his second Glinka Award and 1,000 roubles.^[101]

While in Dresden, Rachmaninoff agreed to perform and conduct in the United States as part of the 1909–10 concert season with conductor Max Fiedler and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.^[102] He spent time during breaks at Ivanovka finishing a new piece specially for the visit, his Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30, which he dedicated to Josef Hofmann.^[103] The tour saw the composer make 26 performances, 19 as pianist and 7 as conductor, which marked his first recitals without another performer in the program. His first appearance was at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for a recital on 4 November 1909. The second performance of the Piano Concerto No. 3 by the New York Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Gustav Mahler in New York City with the composer as soloist, an experience he personally treasured.^[104][105] Though the tour increased the composer’s popularity in America, he declined subsequent offers due to the length of time away from Russia and his family.^[106]

Upon his return home in February 1910, Rachmaninoff became vice president of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (IRMS), whose president was a member of the royal family.^[107] Later in 1910, Rachmaninoff completed his choral work Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31, but it was banned from performance as it did not follow the format of a typical liturgical church service.^[108] For two seasons between 1911 and 1913, Rachmaninoff was appointed permanent conductor of the Philharmonic Society of Moscow; he helped raise its profile and increase audience numbers and receipts.^[109] In 1912, Rachmaninoff left the IRMS when he learned that a musician in an administrative post was dismissed for being Jewish.^[110]

Soon after his resignation, an exhausted Rachmaninoff sought time for composition and took his family on holiday to Switzerland. They left after one month for Rome for a visit that became a particularly tranquil and influential period for the composer, who lived alone in a small apartment on Piazza di Spagna while his family stayed at a boardinghouse.^[111][112] While there he received an anonymous letter that contained a Russian translation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Bells by Konstantin Balmont, which affected him greatly, and he began work on his choral symphony of the same title, Op. 35, based on it.^[113] This period of composition ended abruptly when Rachmaninoff’s daughters contracted serious cases of typhoid and were treated in Berlin due to their father’s greater trust in German doctors. After six weeks, the Rachmaninoffs returned to their Moscow flat.^[114] The composer conducted The Bells at its premiere in Saint Petersburg in late 1913.^[115]

In January 1914, Rachmaninoff began a concert tour of England which was enthusiastically received.^[115] He was too afraid to travel alone following the death of Raoul Pugno of an unexpected heart attack in his hotel room which left the composer wary of a similar fate.^[114] Following the outbreak of the First World War later that year, his position of Inspector of Music at Nobility High School for Girls put him in the group of government servants which prevented him from joining the army, yet the composer made regular charitable donations for the war effort.^[116] In 1915, Rachmaninoff completed his second major choral work, All-Night Vigil (Op. 37).^[117] It was received so warmly at its Moscow premiere in aid of war relief that four subsequent performances were quickly scheduled.^[118]

Alexander Scriabin’s death in April 1915 was a tragedy for Rachmaninoff, who went on a piano recital tour devoted to his friend’s compositions to raise funds for Scriabin’s financially stricken widow.^[119] It marked his first public performances of works other than his own.^[120] During a vacation in Finland that summer, Rachmaninoff learned of Taneyev’s death, a loss which affected him greatly.^[121] By year’s end he had finished his 14 Romances, Op. 34, whose final section, Vocalise, became one of his most popular pieces.^[122]

Leaving Russia, immigration to the US, and concert pianist: 1917–1925[edit]

On the day the February 1917 Revolution began in Saint Petersburg, Rachmaninoff performed a piano recital in Moscow in aid of wounded Russian soldiers who had fought in the war.^[123] He returned to Ivanovka two months later, finding it in chaos after a group of Social Revolutionary Party members seized it as their own communal property.^[124] Despite having invested most of his earnings on the estate, Rachmaninoff left the property after three weeks, vowing never to return.^[125] It was soon confiscated by the communist authorities and became derelict.^[126] In June 1917, Rachmaninoff asked Siloti to produce visas for him and his family so they could leave Russia, but Siloti was unable to help. After a break with his family in the more peaceful Crimea, Rachmaninoff’s concert performance in Yalta on 5 September 1917 was to be his last in Russia. Upon returning to Moscow, the political tension surrounding the October Revolution found the composer keeping his family safe indoors and being involved in a collective at his apartment building where he attended committee meetings and kept guard at night. He completed revisions to his Piano Concerto No. 1 among gunshots and rallies outside.^[127][128]

Amidst such turmoil, Rachmaninoff received an unexpected offer to perform ten piano recitals across Scandinavia, which he immediately accepted, using it as an excuse to obtain permits so he and his family could leave the country.^[129] On 22 December 1917, they left Saint Petersburg by train to the Finnish border, from where they travelled through Finland on an open sled and train to Helsinki. Carrying what they could pack into their small suitcases, Rachmaninoff brought some sketches of compositions and scores to the first act of his unfinished opera Monna Vanna and Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Golden Cockerel. They arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, on 24 December.^[130] In January 1918, they relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, and, with the help of friend and composer Nikolai von Struve, settled on the ground floor of a house.^[131] In debt and in need of money, the 44-year-old Rachmaninoff chose performing as his main source of income, as a career solely in composition was too restrictive.^[132] His piano repertoire was small, which prompted the start of regular practice of his technique and learning new pieces to play. Rachmaninoff toured between February and October 1918.^[133][134]

During the Scandinavian tour, Rachmaninoff received three offers from the US: to become the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for two years, to conduct 110 concerts in 30 weeks for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and to give 25 piano recitals.^[134] He was worried about such a commitment in an unfamiliar country and had few good memories from his debut tour in 1909, so he declined all three. Not long after his decision, Rachmaninoff considered the United States financially advantageous as he could not support his family through composition alone. Unable to afford the travel fees, he was sent an advance loan for the journey by Russian banker and fellow emigre Alexander Kamenka.^[134] Money was also received from friends and admirers; pianist Ignaz Friedman contributed $2,000.^[132] On 1 November 1918, the Rachmaninoffs boarded the SS Bergensfjord in Oslo, Norway, bound for New York City, arriving eleven days later. News of the composer’s arrival spread, causing a crowd of musicians, artists, and fans to gather outside The Sherry-Netherland hotel, where he was staying.^[134]

Rachmaninoff quickly dealt with business, hiring a young woman^[who?] as his secretary, interpreter, and aide in dealing with American life.^[135] He reunited with Josef Hofmann, who informed several concert managers that the composer was available and suggested he choose Charles Ellis as his booking agent. Ellis organised 36 performances for Rachmaninoff for the upcoming 1918–1919 concert season; the first, a piano recital, took place on 8 December at Providence, Rhode Island. Rachmaninoff, still in recovery from a case of the Spanish flu, included his arrangement of «The Star-Spangled Banner» in the program.^[136][137] Before the tour he had received offers from numerous piano manufacturers to tour with their instruments; he chose Steinway, the only one that did not offer him money. Steinway’s association with Rachmaninoff continued for the rest of his life.^[138][139]

After the first tour ended in April 1919, Rachmaninoff took his family on a break to San Francisco. He recuperated and prepared for the upcoming season, a cycle that he would adopt for most of his remaining life. As a touring performer Rachmaninoff became financially secure without much difficulty, and the family lived an upper middle class life with servants, a chef, and chauffeur.^[140] They recreated the atmosphere of Ivanovka in their New York City apartment by entertaining Russian guests, employing Russians, and continuing to observe Russian customs.^[141] Despite the ability to speak some English, Rachmaninoff had his correspondence translated into Russian.^[142] He enjoyed some personal luxuries, including quality tailored suits and the latest model of cars.^[140]

In 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a recording contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company which earned him some much needed income and began his longtime association with RCA.^[138] During a family holiday in Goshen, New York, that summer he learned of von Struve’s accidental death, prompting Rachmaninoff to strengthen the ties he had with those still in Russia by arranging with his bank to send regular money and food parcels to his family, friends, students, and those in need.^[143][144] Early 1921 saw Rachmaninoff apply for documentation to visit Russia, the only time he would do so after leaving the country, but progress ceased when he underwent surgery for pain in his right temple. The operation failed to relieve his symptoms and relief only came after having dental work years later.^[143] After leaving hospital, he purchased an apartment on 33 Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River.^[143]

Rachmaninoff’s first visit to Europe since emigrating occurred in May 1922, with concerts in London.^[145] This was followed by the Rachmaninoffs and the Satins reuniting in Dresden, after which the composer prepared for a hectic 1922–1923 concert season of 71 performances in five months.^[146] For a while, he rented a railway carriage that was fitted with a piano and belongings to save time with suitcases.^[147] In 1924, Rachmaninoff declined an invitation to become conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.^[132] In the following year, after the death of the husband of his daughter Irina, he founded TAIR (Tatiana and Irina), a Paris publishing company named after his daughters that specialised in works by himself and other Russian composers.^[148]

Touring, final compositions, and Villa Senar: 1926–1942[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s life as a touring performer, and the demanding schedules that came with it, caused his compositional output to slow significantly. In the 24 years between his arrival in the US and his death, he completed just six new pieces, revised some of his earlier works, and wrote piano transcriptions for his live repertoire.^[149] He admitted that by leaving Russia, «I left behind my desire to compose: losing my country, I lost myself also».^[150] In 1926, having concentrated on touring for the past eight years, he took a year off and completed the Piano Concerto No. 4, which he had started in 1917, and Three Russian Songs, which he dedicated to Leopold Stokowski.^[151][152]

Rachmaninoff sought the company of fellow Russian musicians and befriended pianist Vladimir Horowitz in 1928.^[153] The men remained supportive of each other’s work, each making a point of attending concerts given by the other,^[154] and Horowitz remained a champion of Rachmaninoff’s works and in particular his Piano Concerto No. 3.^[155] In 1930, in a rare occurrence, Rachmaninoff allowed Italian composer Ottorino Respighi to orchestrate pieces from his Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 (1911) and the Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 (1917), giving Respighi the inspirations behind the compositions.^[156] In 1931, Rachmaninoff and several others signed an article in The New York Times that criticised the cultural policies of the Soviet Union.^[157] The composer’s music suffered a boycott in Russia as a result from the backlash in the Soviet press, lasting until 1933.^[145]

From 1929 to 1931, Rachmaninoff spent his summers in France at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines near Rambouillet, meeting with fellow Russian émigrés and his daughters. By 1930, his desire to compose had returned and sought a new location to write new pieces. He bought a plot of land near Hertenstein on the banks of Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, and oversaw the construction of his home which he named Villa Senar after the first two letters of his and his wife’s name, adding the «r» from the family name.^[145][158] Rachmaninoff spent his summers at Villa Senar until 1939, often with his daughters and grandchildren, with whom he would drive his motorboat on Lake Lucerne, one of his favourite activities.^[158] In the comfort of his own home, Rachmaninoff completed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934 and the Symphony No. 3 in 1936.

In October 1932, Rachmaninoff began a demanding concert season that consisted of 50 performances. The tour marked the fortieth anniversary of his debut as a pianist, for which several of his Russian friends now living in America sent him a scroll and wreath in celebration.^[159] The frail economic situation in the US resulted in the composer performing to smaller audiences, and he lost money in his investments and shares. The European leg in 1933 saw Rachmaninoff celebrate his sixtieth birthday among fellow musicians and friends, after which he retreated to Villa Senar for the summer.^[159] In May 1934, Rachmaninoff underwent a minor operation and two years later, he retreated to Aix-les-Bains in France to improve his arthritis.^[160] During a visit to Villa Senar in 1937, Rachmaninoff entered talks with choreographer Michel Fokine about a ballet based on Niccolò Paganini that was to feature his rhapsody. It premiered in London in 1939 with the composer’s daughters in attendance.^[161] In 1938, Rachmaninoff performed his Piano Concerto No. 2 at a charity jubilee concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate Henry Wood, founder of the Promenade concerts and an admirer of Rachmaninoff’s who wanted him to be the show’s only soloist. Rachmaninoff agreed, so long the performance was not broadcast on the radio due to his aversion for the medium.^[162]

The 1939–40 concert season saw Rachmaninoff perform fewer concerts than usual, totalling 43 appearances that were mostly in the US. The tour continued with dates across England, after which Rachmaninoff visited his daughter Tatyana in Paris followed by a return to Villa Senar. He was unable to perform for a while after slipping on the floor at the villa and injuring himself.^[163] He recovered enough to perform at the Lucerne International Music Festival on 11 August 1939. It was to be his final concert in Europe. He returned to Paris two days later, where he, his wife, and two daughters were together for the last time before the composer left a now war-torn Europe on 23 August.^[164][165] With financial help from Rachmaninoff, Ivan Ilyin was able to pay the bail and settle in Switzerland. Rachmaninoff would support the Soviet Union’s war effort against Nazi Germany throughout the course of World War II, donating receipts from many of his concerts that season in benefit of the Red Army.^[166]

Upon his return to the US, Rachmaninoff performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra in New York City with conductor Eugene Ormandy on 26 November and 3 December 1939, as part of the orchestra’s special series of concerts dedicated to the composer in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of his US debut.^[167] The final concert on 10 December saw Rachmaninoff conduct his Symphony No. 3 and The Bells, marking his first conducting performance since 1917.^[168] The concert season left Rachmaninoff tired, and he spent the summer resting from minor surgery at Orchard’s Point, an estate near Huntington, New York on Long Island.^[169] During this restful period Rachmaninoff completed his final composition, the Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. It is his only piece he composed in its entirety while living in the US. Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra premiered the piece in January 1941, which Rachmaninoff attended.^[167]

In December 1939, Rachmaninoff began an extensive recording period which lasted until February 1942 and included his Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 3 and Symphony No. 3 at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.^[168] In the early 1940s, Rachmaninoff was approached by the makers of the British film Dangerous Moonlight to write a short concerto-like piece for use in the film, but he declined, and instead the job went to Richard Addinsell, who wrote the Warsaw Concerto.

Illness, move to California, and death: 1942–43[edit]

In early 1942, Rachmaninoff was advised by his doctor to relocate to a warmer climate to improve his health after suffering from sclerosis, lumbago, neuralgia, high blood pressure, and headaches.^[170] After completing his final studio recording sessions during this time in February,^[171] a move to Long Island fell through after the composer and his wife expressed a greater interest in California, and initially settled in a leased home on Tower Road in Beverly Hills in May.^[170][167] In June they purchased a home at 610 North Elm Drive in Beverly Hills, living close to Horowitz who would often visit and perform piano duets with Rachmaninoff.^[172][164] Later in 1942, Rachmaninoff invited Igor Stravinsky to dinner, the two sharing their worries of a war-torn Russia and their children in France.^[173][174]

Shortly after a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1942, Rachmaninoff was suffering from lumbago and fatigue. He informed his doctor, Alexander Golitsyn, that the upcoming 1942–43 concert season would be his last, in order to dedicate his time to composition.^[175][167] The tour began on 12 October 1942 and the composer received many positive reviews from critics despite his deteriorating health.^[167] Rachmaninoff and his wife Natalia were among the 220 people who became naturalised American citizens at a ceremony held in New York City on 1 February 1943.^[152][176] Later that month he complained of persistent cough and back pain; a doctor diagnosed him with pleurisy and advised that a warmer climate would aid in his recovery. Rachmaninoff opted to continue with touring, but felt so ill during his travels to Florida that the remaining dates were cancelled and he returned to California by train, where an ambulance took him to hospital. It was then that Rachmaninoff was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma. His wife took Rachmaninoff home where he reunited with his daughter Irina.^[177] His last appearances as a concerto soloist—Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—were on February 11 and 12 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Hans Lange.^[178] On February 17, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, he gave his last recital, the program of which included Chopin’s Piano Sonata n°2 in B-flat minor, or Funeral Sonata — sadly appropriate for the occasion. ^{[179][180][181]}

Rachmaninoff’s health rapidly declined in the last week of March 1943. He lost his appetite, had constant pain in his arms and sides, and found it increasingly difficult to breathe. On 26 March, the composer lost consciousness and he died two days later, four days before his seventieth birthday.^[182] A message from several Moscow composers with greetings had arrived too late for Rachmaninoff to read it.^[182] His funeral took place at the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church on Micheltorena Street in Silver Lake.^[183] In his will, Rachmaninoff wished to be buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, where Scriabin, Taneyev, and Chekhov were buried, but his American citizenship made that impossible.^[184] Instead, he was interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.^[185]

In August 2015, Russia announced its intention to seek reburial of Rachmaninoff’s remains in Russia, claiming that Americans have neglected the composer’s grave while attempting to «shamelessly privatize» his name. The composer’s descendants have resisted this idea, pointing out that he died in the U.S. after spending decades outside of Russia in self-imposed political exile.^[186][187]

After Rachmaninoff’s death, poet Marietta Shaginyan published fifteen letters they exchanged from their first contact in February 1912 and their final meeting in July 1917.^[188] The nature of their relationship bordered on romantic, but was primarily intellectual and emotional. Shaginyan and the poetry she shared with Rachmaninoff have been cited as the inspiration for his Six Songs, Op. 38.^[189]

Music[edit]

Works[edit]

Rachmaninoff wrote five works for piano and orchestra: four concertos—No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1 (1891, revised 1917), No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 (1900–01), No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909), and No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 (1926, revised 1928 and 1941)—and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Of the concertos, the Second and Third are the most popular.^[190]

Rachmaninoff also composed a number of works for orchestra alone. The three symphonies: No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 (1895), No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 (1907), and No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 (1935–36). Widely spaced chronologically, the symphonies represent three distinct phases in his compositional development. The Second has been the most popular of the three since its first performance. Among Rachmaninoff’s other orchestral works are his Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), his last major composition, and his four symphonic poems: Prince Rostislav, The Rock (Op. 7), Caprice bohémien (Op. 12), and The Isle of the Dead (Op. 29).

As Rachmaninoff was a skilled pianist, a large portion of his compositional output consists of works for solo piano. They include 24 Preludes traversing all 24 major and minor keys; Prelude in C-sharp minor (Op. 3, No. 2) from Morceaux de fantaisie (Op. 3); ten preludes in Op. 23; and thirteen in Op. 32. Especially difficult are the two sets of Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 and 39, which are very demanding study pictures. Stylistically, Op. 33 hearkens back to the preludes, while Op. 39 shows the influences of Scriabin and Prokofiev. There are also the Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), the Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22), and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli (Op. 42). He wrote two piano sonatas, both of which are large scale and virtuosic in their technical demands. Rachmaninoff also composed works for two pianos, four hands, including two Suites (the first subtitled Fantasie-Tableaux), a version of the Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), and an arrangement of the C-sharp minor Prelude, as well as a Russian Rhapsody, and he arranged his First Symphony (below) for piano four hands. Both these works were published posthumously.

Rachmaninoff wrote two major a cappella choral works—the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the All-Night Vigil (also known as the Vespers). It was the fifth movement of All-Night Vigil that Rachmaninoff requested to have sung at his funeral. Other choral works include a choral symphony, The Bells; the cantata Spring; the Three Russian Songs; and an early Concerto for Choir (a cappella).

He completed three one-act operas: Aleko (1892), The Miserly Knight (1903), and Francesca da Rimini (1904). He started three others, notably Monna Vanna, based on the work by Maurice Maeterlinck; copyright in this had been extended to the composer Février,^[191] and, though the restriction did not pertain to Russia, Rachmaninoff dropped the project after completing Act I in piano vocal score in 1908.^[d] Aleko is regularly performed and has been recorded complete at least eight times, and filmed. The Miserly Knight adheres to Pushkin’s «little tragedy». Francesca da Rimini exists somewhat in the shadow^{[citation needed]} of the opera of the same name by Riccardo Zandonai.

Rachmaninoff, similarly to many Russian composers of his time, wrote relatively little chamber music.^[192] His output in the genre includes two piano trios, both of which are named Trio Elégiaque (the second of which is a memorial tribute to Tchaikovsky), a Cello Sonata, and the Morceaux de salon for violin and piano.

Rachmaninoff composed a total of 83 songs (románsy in Russian) for voice and piano, all of which were written before he left Russia permanently in 1917.^[193][194] Most of his songs were set to texts by Russian romantic writers and poets,^[193] such as Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Afanasy Fet, Anton Chekhov and Aleksey Tolstoy, among others. His most popular song is the wordless Vocalise, which he later arranged for orchestra.^[195]

Compositional style[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s style was initially influenced by Tchaikovsky. By the mid-1890s, however, his compositions began showing a more individual tone. His First Symphony has many original features. Its brutal gestures and uncompromising power of expression were unprecedented in Russian music at the time. Its flexible rhythms, sweeping lyricism, and stringent economy of thematic material were all features he kept and refined in subsequent works. Following the poor reception of the symphony and three years of inactivity, Rachmaninoff’s individual style developed significantly. He started leaning towards sumptuous harmonies and broadly lyrical, often passionate melodies. His orchestration became subtler and more varied, with textures carefully contrasted. Overall, his writing became more concise.^[196]

Especially important is Rachmaninoff’s use of unusually widely spaced chords for bell-like sounds: this occurs in many pieces, most notably in the choral symphony The Bells, the Second Piano Concerto, the E-flat major Étude-Tableaux (Op. 33, No. 7), and the B minor Prelude (Op. 32, No. 10). «It is not enough to say that the church bells of Novgorod, St Petersburg and Moscow influenced Rachmaninov and feature prominently in his music. This much is self-evident. What is extraordinary is the variety of bell sounds and breadth of structural and other functions they fulfill.»^[197] He was also fond of Russian Orthodox chants. He used them most perceptibly in his Vespers, but many of his melodies found their origins in these chants. The opening melody of the First Symphony is derived from chants. (The opening melody of the Third Piano Concerto, on the other hand, is not derived from chants; when asked, Rachmaninoff said that «it had [written] itself».)^[198][199]

Rachmaninoff’s frequently used motifs include the Dies Irae, often just the fragments of the first phrase.
Rachmaninoff had great command of counterpoint and fugal writing, thanks to his studies with Taneyev. The above-mentioned occurrence of the Dies Irae in the Second Symphony (1907) is but a small example of this. Very characteristic of his writing is chromatic counterpoint. This talent was paired with a confidence in writing in both large- and small-scale forms. The Third Piano Concerto especially shows a structural ingenuity, while each of the preludes grows from a tiny melodic or rhythmic fragment into a taut, powerfully evocative miniature, crystallizing a particular mood or sentiment while employing a complexity of texture, rhythmic flexibility and a pungent chromatic harmony.^[200]

His compositional style had already begun changing before the October Revolution deprived him of his homeland. The harmonic writing in The Bells was composed in 1913 but not published until 1920. This may have been due to Rachmaninoff’s main publisher, Gutheil, having died in 1914 and Gutheil’s catalog being acquired by Serge Koussevitsky.^[201] It became as advanced as in any of the works Rachmaninoff would write in Russia, partly because the melodic material has a harmonic aspect which arises from its chromatic ornamentation.^[202] Further changes are apparent in the revised First Piano Concerto, which he finished just before leaving Russia, as well as in the Op. 38 songs and Op. 39 Études-Tableaux. In both these sets Rachmaninoff was less concerned with pure melody than with coloring. His near-Impressionist style perfectly matched the texts by symbolist poets.^[203] The Op. 39 Études-Tableaux are among the most demanding pieces he wrote for any medium, both technically and in the sense that the player must see beyond any technical challenges to a considerable array of emotions, then unify all these aspects.^[204]

The composer’s friend Vladimir Wilshaw noticed this compositional change continuing in the early 1930s, with a difference between the sometimes very extroverted Op. 39 Études-Tableaux (the composer had broken a string on the piano at one performance) and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli (Op. 42, 1931). The variations show an even greater textural clarity than in the Op. 38 songs, combined with a more abrasive use of chromatic harmony and a new rhythmic incisiveness. This would be characteristic of all his later works—the Piano Concerto No. 4 (Op. 40, 1926) is composed in a more emotionally introverted style, with a greater clarity of texture. Nevertheless, some of his most beautiful (nostalgic and melancholy) melodies occur in the Third Symphony, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Symphonic Dances.^[203]

Music theorist and musicologist Joseph Yasser, as early as 1951, uncovered progressive tendencies in Rachmaninoff’s compositions. He uncovered Rachmaninoff’s use of an intra-tonal chromaticism that stands in notable contrast to the inter-tonal chromaticism of Richard Wagner and strikingly contrasts the extra-tonal chromaticism of the more radical twentieth century composers like Arnold Schoenberg. Yasser postulated that a variable, subtle, but unmistakable characteristic use of this intra-tonal chromaticism permeated Rachmaninoff’s music.^[205]

Reputation and legacy[edit]

Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions before his music gained steady recognition around the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff’s music as «monotonous in texture … consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes» and predicted that his popular success was «not likely to last».^[206][207] To this, Harold C. Schonberg, in his Lives of the Great Composers, responded: «It is one of the most outrageously snobbish and even stupid statements ever to be found in a work that is supposed to be an objective reference.»^[206]

The Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris, as well as streets in Veliky Novgorod (which is close to his birthplace) and Tambov, are named after the composer. In 1986, the Moscow Conservatory dedicated a concert hall on its premises to Rachmaninoff, designating the 252-seat auditorium Rachmaninoff Hall, and in 1999 the «Monument to Sergei Rachmaninoff» was installed in Moscow. A separate monument to Rachmaninoff was unveiled in Veliky Novgorod, near his birthplace, on 14 June 2009. The 2015 musical Preludes by Dave Malloy depicts Rachmaninoff’s struggle with depression and writer’s block.

A statue marked «Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert», designed and sculpted by Victor Bokarev, stands at the World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a tribute to the composer. In Alexandria, Virginia in 2019, a Rachmaninoff concert performed by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra played to wide acclaim. Attendees were treated to a talk prior to the performance by Rachmaninoff’s great-granddaughter, Natalie Wanamaker Javier, who joined Rachmaninoff scholar Francis Crociata and Library of Congress music specialist Kate Rivers on a panel of discussants about the composer and his contributions.^[208]

Pianism[edit]

Rachmaninoff ranked among the finest pianists of his time,^[209] along with Leopold Godowsky, Ignaz Friedman, Moriz Rosenthal, Josef Lhévinne, Ferruccio Busoni, and Josef Hofmann, and he was famed for possessing a clean and virtuosic technique. His playing was marked by precision, rhythmic drive, notable use of staccato and the ability to maintain clarity when playing works with complex textures. Rachmaninoff applied these qualities in music by Chopin, including the B-flat minor Piano Sonata. Rachmaninoff’s repertoire, excepting his own works, consisted mainly of standard 19th century virtuoso works plus music by Bach, Beethoven, Borodin, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Tchaikovsky.^[210]

The two pieces Rachmaninoff singled out for praise from Rubinstein’s concerts became cornerstones for his own recital programs. The compositions were Beethoven’s Appassionata and Chopin’s Funeral March Sonata. He may have based his interpretation of the Chopin sonata on that of Rubinstein. Rachmaninoff biographer Barrie Martyn points out similarities between written accounts of Rubinstein’s interpretation and Rachmaninoff’s audio recording of the work.^[211]

Technique[edit]

Rachmaninoff possessed large hands,^[212] with which he could easily maneuver through the most complex chordal configurations. His left hand technique was unusually powerful. His playing was marked by definition—where other pianists’ playing became blurry-sounding from overuse of the pedal or deficiencies in finger technique, Rachmaninoff’s textures were always crystal clear. Only Josef Hofmann and Josef Lhévinne shared this kind of clarity with him.^[213] All three men had Anton Rubinstein as a model for this kind of playing—Hofmann as a student of Rubinstein’s,^[214] Rachmaninoff from hearing his famous series of historical recitals in Moscow while studying with Zverev,^[215] and Lhévinne from hearing and playing with him.

Tone[edit]

Of Rachmaninoff’s tone, Arthur Rubinstein wrote:

I was always under the spell of his glorious and inimitable tone which could make me forget my uneasiness about his too rapidly fleeting fingers and his exaggerated rubatos. There was always the irresistible sensuous charm, not unlike Kreisler’s.^[216]

Coupled to this tone was a vocal quality not unlike that attributed to Chopin’s playing. With Rachmaninoff’s extensive operatic experience, he was a great admirer of fine singing. As his records demonstrate, he possessed a tremendous ability to make a musical line sing, no matter how long the notes or how complex the supporting texture, with most of his interpretations taking on a narrative quality. With the stories he told at the keyboard came multiple voices—a polyphonic dialogue, not the least in terms of dynamics. His 1940 recording of his transcription of the song «Daisies» captures this quality extremely well. On the recording, separate musical strands enter as if from various human voices in eloquent conversation. This ability came from an exceptional independence of fingers and hands.^[217]

Interpretations[edit]

Regardless of the music, Rachmaninoff always planned his performances carefully. He based his interpretations on the theory that each piece of music has a «culminating point». Regardless of where that point was or at which dynamic within that piece, the performer had to know how to approach it with absolute calculation and precision; otherwise, the whole construction of the piece could crumble and the piece could become disjointed. This was a practice he learned from Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin, a staunch friend.^[210] Paradoxically, Rachmaninoff often sounded like he was improvising, though he actually was not. While his interpretations were mosaics of tiny details, when those mosaics came together in performance, they might, according to the tempo of the piece being played, fly past at great speed, giving the impression of instant thought.^[218]

One advantage Rachmaninoff had in this building process over most of his contemporaries was in approaching the pieces he played from the perspective of a composer rather than that of an interpreter. He believed «interpretation demands something of the creative instinct. If you are a composer, you have an affinity with other composers. You can make contact with their imaginations, knowing something of their problems and their ideals. You can give their works color. That is the most important thing for me in my interpretations, color. So you make music live. Without color it is dead.»^[219] Nevertheless, Rachmaninoff also possessed a far better sense of structure than many of his contemporaries, such as Hofmann, or the majority of pianists from the previous generation, judging from their respective recordings.^[217]

A recording which showcases Rachmaninoff’s approach is the Liszt Second Polonaise, recorded in 1925. Percy Grainger, who had been influenced by the composer and Liszt specialist Ferruccio Busoni, had himself recorded the same piece a few years earlier. Rachmaninoff’s performance is far more taut and concentrated than Grainger’s. The Russian’s drive and monumental conception bear a considerable difference to the Australian’s more delicate perceptions. Grainger’s textures are elaborate. Rachmaninoff shows the filigree as essential to the work’s structure, not simply decorative.^[220]

Hand size and medical speculations[edit]

Along with his musical gifts, Rachmaninoff possessed physical gifts that placed him in good stead as a pianist, including large hands with a gigantic finger stretch. Cyril Smith noted that Rachmaninoff could play a twelfth with the left hand, and his right hand could play the notes C (index), E (thumb), G, C, and E.^[221][222]

His hand size, in addition to his considerable height, slender frame, long limbs, narrow head, prominent ears, and thin nose has led to the suggestion that he may have had Marfan syndrome, a hereditary disorder of the connective tissue. This syndrome would have accounted for several minor ailments he suffered all his life, including back pain, arthritis, eye strain, and bruising of the fingertips.^[223] An article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, however, pointed out that Rachmaninoff did not show many of the typical signs of Marfan syndrome, and instead suggested that he may have had acromegaly, which, the article speculated, would possibly have accounted for stiffness Rachmaninoff experienced in his hands, and for the repeated periods of depression he experienced throughout his life, and could have possibly even been connected to his melanoma.^[224]

Recordings[edit]

Upon arriving in America, Rachmaninoff’s poor financial situation prompted him in 1919 to record a selection of piano pieces for Edison Records on their «Diamond Disc» records, in a limited contract for ten released sides.^[225] Rachmaninoff felt his performances varied in quality and requested final approval prior to a commercial release. Edison agreed, but still issued multiple takes, an unusual practice which was standard at Edison Records. Rachmaninoff and Edison Records were pleased with the released discs and wished to record more, but Edison refused, saying the ten sides were sufficient. This, in addition to technical issues in the recordings and Edison’s lack of musical taste, led to Rachmaninoff’s annoyance with the company, and as soon as his contract ended he left Edison Records.^[226]

In 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor).^[227] Unlike Edison, the company was pleased to comply with his requests, and proudly advertised Rachmaninoff as one of their prominent recording artists. He continued to record for Victor until 1942, when the American Federation of Musicians imposed a recording ban on their members in a strike over royalty payments. Rachmaninoff died in March 1943, over a year and a half before RCA Victor settled with the union and resumed commercial recording activity.

External audio
You may hear Rachmaninoff performing Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 Here on archive.org

When Rachmaninoff recorded his works, he would seek perfection, often re-recording them until he was satisfied.^[228][229] Particularly renowned are his renditions of Schumann’s Carnaval and Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, along with many shorter pieces. He recorded all four of his piano concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra; the first, third, and fourth concertos were recorded with Eugene Ormandy in 1939–41, and two versions of the second concerto with Leopold Stokowski in 1924 and 1929.^[230] He also made a recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, soon after its first performance (1934) with the Philadelphians under Stokowski, in addition to three recordings he made as conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra, playing his own Third Symphony, his symphonic poem Isle of the Dead, and his orchestration of Vocalise.^[230][e]

Rachmaninoff was also involved in various ways with music on piano rolls. From 1919 to 1929 he made 35 piano rolls (12 of which were his own compositions), for the American Piano Company (Ampico)’s reproducing piano.^[231][232] For demonstration purposes, he recorded the solo part of his Second Piano Concerto for Ampico, though only the second movement was used publicly and has survived. He continued to record until around 1929, though his last roll, the Chopin Scherzo in B-flat minor, was not published until October 1933.^[233]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

Books[edit]

Journals[edit]

External links[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff Foundation and the Rachmaninoff Network

Performances and Recordings[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Performance Diary
• Complete list of Rachmaninoff’s performances as a conductor at the Wayback Machine (archived 27 October 2009)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

Music scores[edit]

• Works by Sergei Rachmaninoff at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Sergei Rachmaninoff at Internet Archive
• Free scores (in Italian)
• Free scores by Sergei Rachmaninoff at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Sergei Rachmaninoff in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

Other[edit]

• Sergei Rachmaninoff archive, 1872-1992 at the Library of Congress
• «Discovering Rachmaninov». BBC Radio 3.
• Sergei Rachmaninoff discography at MusicBrainz
• Sergei Rachmaninoff at AllMusic