Sergey Rachmaninov
April 1, 1873 - March 28, 1943born in Semyonovo, Russia, composed during the Romantic period
Biography
Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, born in Semyonovo, Russia, on April 1, 1873, is today remembered as one of the most formidable pianists of all time and the last truly great composer in the Russian Romantic tradition. Rachmaninov came from a music-loving, land-owning family; young Sergey's mother fostered the boy's innate talent by giving him his first piano lessons. After a decline in the family fortunes, the Rachmaninovs moved to St. Petersburg, where Sergey studied with Vladimir Delyansky at the Conservatory. As his star continued to rise, Sergey went to the Moscow Conservatory, where he received a sound musical training: piano lessons from the strict disciplinarian Nikolay Zverev and Alexander Siloti (Rachmaninov's cousin), counterpoint with Taneyev, and harmony with Arensky. During his time at the Conservatory, Rachmaninov boarded with Zverev, whose weekly musical Sundays provided the young musician the valuable opportunity to make important contacts and to hear a wide variety of music.
As Rachmaninov's conservatory studies continued, his burgeoning talent came into full flower; he received the personal encouragement of Tchaikovsky, and, a year after earning a degree in piano, took the Conservatory's gold medal in composition for his opera Aleko (1892).
Selected Discography
Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33, Op. 39
Evening Star: The Rachmaninov Vespers
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30 / Suite No. 2 for two pianos
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4
Rachmaninoff: Preludes (complete)
Rachmaninov - Elegy, Preludes, Piano Concerto No.3
Rachmaninov: 24 Preludes/Piano Sonata No.2
Rachmaninov: Complete Piano Concertos / Rhapsody
Rachmaninov: Complete Works For Cello And Piano
Rachmaninov: Morceaux de Salon, Op. 10; Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
A very long time favorite composer of mine. I began hearing some when I was eight or nine years old. The music is very sweet, but has lots of drama and action. It is musical poetry.
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i SERIOUSLY DOUBT THERE IS A PIANIST WHO COULD AT THEIR BEST RIVAL THIS MAN ON THE PIANO; NEVER MIND HIS CREATIVE GENIUS AS WELL.
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One of my favorite composers of all time. One of the few who will really make you just sit there and cry. Pure emotion and technical fury.
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My guess being he was pissed when he wrote this piece...the fingering boggles the mind and the anger depicted in the heavy use of the peddle. Someone must have made a negative comment about him losing his touch...it is a kick in the a** to the critic involved. It's only my opinion, folks, don't make book on it.
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I do believe he sets the tone for twentieth century composers. Many of the phrases in his works can be found in what followed. His genius is I suggest underrated.
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There is little one can add to the plaudits already heaped upon this man. All I can add is Pandora's selection of music for this particular site is...astound i n g and able to hold ones attention for hours on end. Keep up the good work, please.
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i like clasic music and i love the piano hearing this for the first time... i loved it and hopefully i'll hear some more and the fact that im only 17 makes it harder to belive i love this because who in a jounge age thinks like that?
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I don't hear a lot of Rachmaninoff , but as a kid I played a simplified version of his Prelude in C Sharp Minor (& later learned to play the original). That's the only Rachmaninoff I ever learned. My very favorite composition of his is his first Piano Concerto. I'm not a BIG fan of his, but I love those 2 compositions . Ed
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I hear everything in his compositions , from jazz, folk, progressive rock to heavy metal.
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his artistry is the greatest, uplifting and sentimental at the same time
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You can transliterat e his name a number of ways and I like the way Pandora chose the best, but either way you cut it, his music is pretty inspiring!
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I have also been enamoured of this man's work for many years. His piano concertos have bade me sweet dreams for many a moon. None so eloquent or emotional have ever graced my ears.
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I have loved this man's work for many years. When I first heard it, there were tears in my eyes and I can still reproduce tears whenever I get into his music. I have gone to performances of artists who perform his works and I understand that their number is quite small, the complexity is so great. It amazes me to read, above, that he recorded his own works. Now I want to find these and add them to my own collection. Van Cliburn is great, but Rachmaninoff ? Wow!
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op. 18-3 Allegro Scherzando with Van Cliburn on the piano has had a similar effect on me
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Rachmaninoff ' s piano concerto no.3 in d-minor is truly a gift to musical literature. It inspired me to learn piano at 21 and I've been hooked since 2001.
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It would be very helpful if eventually you could include notes about the performer as well. It would be even nicer if eventually the listener could select not only the work, but a specific performance of that work. After all, not all performers are equally gifted, and not all performances of a work are equally valuable.
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