Sergei Rachmaninov

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov ( Russian : Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов; himself he wrote Sergei Rachmaninoff) ( Novgorod , April 1, 1873 - Beverly Hills , March 28, 1943 ) was a Russian composer , pianist , conductor and music educator . He is considered one of the most important pianists of the 20th century and was a composer continuer of Russian romanticism . Among his famous works are the second and third piano concerto, the prelude in C-sharp minor from Morceaux de Fantaisie , his Second Symphony and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini .

Content

 * 1 Life
 * 2 The composer
 * 3 The performer and conductor
 * 4 Private Life
 * 5 Recordings
 * 6 Oeuvre
 * 7 Trivia
 * 8 External link

Life
Sergei Rachmaninoff was born on the estate Semyonovo in the Novgorod oblast . Musical talent was already discovered early Rachmaninov. His older cousin Alexander Siloti, himself a piano virtuoso, the twelve year old Rachmaninov introduced by Nikolai Zverev , a music teacher who took talented young men for pupil to prepare them for the conservatory. After four years Rachmaninov was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory . He studied piano with Alexander Siloti , counterpoint with Sergei Taneyev(his favorite teacher) and composition with Anton Arensky (where Aleksandr Scriabin was a fellow student). During his studies Rachmaninoff composed his first piano concerto (1891). This work is known as Opus 1. In 1892 he studied - a year earlier than the average student - on which he was awarded the prestigious gold medal. In the history of the academy only two students went for him. In the same year came the famous Prelude in C (Op. 3 no. 2, "Bells of Moscow"), from the series of piano works dedicated to Arensky Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3. In that year he also held his first major tour in Russia.

Rachmaninoff at the piano in his student days (1900).

In 1893 he became professor of piano at the Mariinsky Institute in St. Petersburg, where he from 1897 to 1898 was also head of the opera department. During his tenure there was Rachmaninov (in 1895 ) started his first symphony, in the hope that it would bring him more success. However, the symphony was given after the first performance in 1897, a devastating critique, presumably as a result of poor performance; according to Natalya Rachmaninov (the wife of the composer), the conductor would, Alexander Glazunov, have been drunk. Rachmaninov became depressed and refused to work under better conditions to perform. It's never played in his life. The fiasco had paralyzed his creativity, and he composed little. But he had started on a second piano concerto, but was unable to finish the job. Finally, after even a hypnosis treatment to have undergone at the doctor dr. Nicolai Dahl, Rachmaninov began composing, resulting in the famous (dedicated to Dahl) Piano Concerto in C minor (op. 18). Shortly afterwards he wrote the Sonata for cello and piano (Op. 19), which today is considered one of the most important cello works of the 20th century. He celebrated great triumphs in Europe, especially in London . From 1904 to 1906 he directed the famous Bolshoi Theatre and was then three years in Dresden working. In 1909he undertook his first trip to the United States where, after the 1917 revolution stayed frequently. In 1909 also came the virtuoso and especially in America successful Third Piano Concerto (Op. 30), the second execution by Gustav Mahler was conducted. In 1934 Rachmaninov settled permanently in the United States. From there he undertook numerous concert tours. He has also teamed with Horowitz played, but there were never made ​​recordings.

Sergei Rachmaninoff died at the age of 69 in Beverly Hills, California.

The composer [ edit ]
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Prelude in C-sharp minor by Sergei Rachmaninov ( Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3) played by himself (recording from 1919).

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The Piano Concerto no. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op 1, first part.Rachmaninoff composed this in 1891. Robert Feist conducts the symphony orchestra of the University of Washington. Neal O'Doan on the piano.

The first compositions Rachmaninoff wrote his tenth. His great example was when Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . He produced at the age of twelve piano transcription of his Manfred. Though for most of his life in the 20th century lived, his music is inspired by the great examples of the 19th-century romanticism . Rachmaninov has his life composed in the style of Russian late Romanticism, and he was accused does not like Stravinsky "modern music" is write. In his symphonic music Rachmaninov is strongly influenced by the great Russian Romantics (Tchaikovsky andRimsky-Korsakov ), in his piano music by Liszt and Chopin . Rachmaninoff is known today for its fascinating piano music, which is reputed to be technically very difficult. Known are on Préludes. 23 and 32, his Études-Tableaux on. 33 and 39. He was then also an excellent pianist (see below). Mostly for that reason assumed that Rachmaninov - like Chopin - was primarily a piano composer, but the opposite is true. He has practiced many genres: symphonies, operas, choral works, songs, symphonic poems, transcriptions and chamber music. Many of these works were successful and today are still running. Rachmaninov was very perfectionist and his life changes in his works made, especially his first piano concerto and his second piano sonata (Op. 36) have undergone changes, but also Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Op. 22).

It is said that, due to his busy schedule as a performer and conductor, Rachmaninoff composed relatively few; especially the last 20 years of his life he would save his Fourth Piano Concerto (Op. 40) have pretty much composed. His grandson, however, made the end of 2007 that his grandfather has written about 170 compositions (while only about fifty are known!). Until the later compositions include Variations on a Theme of Corelli, (42.), Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (43.), the Third Symphony (44). and theSymphonic Dances (45). - piece for piece work have kept that repertoire.

The performer and conductor [ edit ]
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Sergei Rachmaninoff plays theGrande Valse brillante (waltz in E flat major (1831), Opus 18), a composition written by Frédéric Chopin . This recording is dated January 21, 1921.

Rachmaninoff was also successful as a performer, and is regarded by some as one of the leading pianists of the 20th century. In his time he was known more as a performer than as a composer. In his piano playing, he was inspired by, among others, Anton Rubinstein, who he saw as a conservatory student play several times. Rachmaninov had extremely large hands, so he was able a quint (fifth octave) to span, and very long, thin but strong fingers, which he could easily play the most complicated chords. In particular, the technique of his left hand was unusually strong. Unlike some pasty game of many pianists by generous use of the pedal or just little dexterity, Rachmaninoff performances were always crystal clear; an art that he alone with Josef Hofmann shared. For his concerts he often chose pieces from the famous romantic repertoire (Beethoven , Schumann , Brahms , Liszt , Tchaikovsky, etc.) and own work. He was regarded in his day as a leading Chopin Performer. Of his performances of the works of Chopin still exist several recordings. Rachmaninov during his life as a pianist and conductor, toured throughout Europe and America.

Life [ edit ]
Rachmaninov with daughter Irina at the estate Ivanovka, 1912

In his youth he often stayed with his grandmother, and the estate Ivanovka, the summer residence of the family. There he met Natalia Satina. In 1902 she married and had two daughters, Irina (born 1903) and Tatiana (1907). Rachmaninov attached great importance to family life and enjoyed his children and grandchildren. Between the busy concert seasons they were his relaxation. The hospitable couple received than many friends who often stayed the night. After their flight in 1917 for Bolshevism Rachmaninov has never felt more at home as at Ivanovka. Since then he has always tried to find a place with a similar atmosphere and environment. In 1932, the family bought a forested area on the Lake Lucerne, near Lucerne , where they built a luxurious villa. Two years later the building was completed and the building was baptized Senar (Se rgei, After talya achmaninov R).Rachmaninov had finally after years of wandering back home in politically "safe" Switzerland. Rachmaninov had a love for cars and had to Senar a motorboat, which he often went boating on the lake. In 1942 the couple moved into a town house in Beverly Hills . There Rachmaninov lived until his death in 1943.

[Recordings edit ]
Rachmaninov has made numerous recordings of their own and others' work. Recorded include his third symphony, four piano concertos, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the famous prelude C-sharp minor (Op. 3 no. 2). Many recordings were provided by the Victor Talking Machine Company . In the recordings of his symphonic music (Isle of the Dead,3rd Symphony, Russian songs) conducts Rachmaninoff. In the works for piano and orchestra (the four piano concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini) is Rachmaninov soloist and the management is in the hands of someone else (1st and 2nd piano concerto: Leopold Stokowski, 3rd and 4th: Eugene Ormandy ). In 1992 appeared already Rachmaninoff's recordings on CD . Overview of Rachmaninov's own work included:
 * Piano Concerto no. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 1

Rachmaninov, by Boris Grigoriev
 * Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3
 * Nr. 2: Prelude in C-sharp minor
 * Nr. 3: Mélodie in E major
 * Nr. 4: Polichinelle in F-sharp minor
 * Nr. 5: Serenade in B-flat minor
 * Morceaux de salon, Op. 10
 * Nr. 5: Humorèsque in G major
 * Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
 * Nr. 2 in E minor
 * Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
 * Preludes Op. 23
 * Nr. 5 in G minor
 * Nr. 10 in G-flat major
 * Dead Island, Op. 29
 * Piano Concerto no. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
 * Preludes, Op. 32
 * Nr. 3 in E major
 * Nr. 5 in G major
 * Nr. 6 in f minor
 * Nr. 7 in F major
 * Nr. 12 in G-sharp minor
 * Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33
 * Nr. 2 in C major
 * Nr. 7 in G minor
 * Vocalise (orkesttransciptie of the same name [free text] song Op. 34 no. 14)
 * Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39
 * Nr. 6 in A minor
 * Piano Concerto no. 4 in G minor, Op. 40
 * Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in A minor, Op. 43
 * Symphony no. 3 in A minor, Op. 44
 * Piano Transcription of Modest Mussorgsky 's Gopak from his opera The Fair of Sorotsjinski

[Trivia Edit ]

 * Rachmaninov in the course of his career at the famous Prelude in C-sharp. 3 no. 2 to hate, because it again and again as an encore was demanded.
 * Rachmaninov would have said once that he was a piano concert of Grieg 's piano concerto was best that he had ever heard.
 * Rachmaninov was there with family and friends to be known quite a tease. AJ Swan describes in his memories of Rachmaninov (Musical Quarterly, vol. 30, 1944) the family tradition to go on the estate mushrooms search. Swan noted that he had observed in the circumference nowhere mushrooms, which Rachmaninoff said that the whole garden was full of it, and that he could not understand how someone could have something to overlook. When she wanted to pick, it appeared that the mushrooms were separately inserted into the ground (Rachmaninov - who always got up early - she had found on his morning walk near the house and "planted").
 * When the violinist Fritz Kreisler with a performance of Grieg's 3rd Sonata for violin and piano wire was lost, he whispered to Rachmaninov (who accompanied him on the piano): What are we without missing a note replied Rachmaninov: At Carnegie Hall !
 * The third piano concerto, called "The Rach 3", is prominent in the film Shine (1996) in a biographical story of Australian pianist David Helfgott .
 * The third piano concerto in 2007 was four times by finalists performed in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels .
 * Rachmaninoff is a vodka brand .