Rakhmaninov, Sergei Vasil'evich 1873 - 1943
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
Last updated：January 1, 2010
Author: Asayama, Natsuko
Russian pianist, composer, and conductor. Through diligent study, he graduated from the piano and composition departments of the Moscow Conservatory one year earlier than usual. He received the highest honors, the Great Gold Medal, particularly in composition. In 1892, his Prelude in C-sharp minor, published immediately after his graduation, quickly became a popular work. However, due to the unfavorable reception of his Symphony No. 1, he temporarily abandoned composition. In 1902, he returned to the public stage by premiering his Piano Concerto No. 2 himself, and after serving as a conductor in theaters, he dedicated himself to composition for a period after moving to Dresden in 1906. In 1909, he traveled to the United States, where he gained fame as a pianist performing his own works. He performed in Europe and America, navigating the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, and attempted to remain in Europe in the late 1920s. However, in 1931, after criticizing the Soviet Union's regime, the government banned performances of his works (this ban was lifted after about two years). In his later years, he returned to the United States due to a sense of crisis regarding a new war.
Rachmaninoff achieved success in piano performance, conducting, and composition, but found it difficult to devote himself to all three simultaneously. Perhaps his performing career in the latter half of his life hindered his concentration on composition, as many of his masterpieces date from his early period.
Rachmaninoff continuously sought to maximize the potential of the piano as an instrument. He is said to have possessed astonishing performing technique and unusually large hands. However, in his own piano compositions, he did not merely rely on virtuosity but knew how to solidly construct pieces with beautiful melodies imbued with melancholy and passion. Taking Tchaikovsky as his model, he remained within the framework of major and minor keys, inheriting the colors and lyricism of late Romanticism.
Works(68)
Concerto (2)
concerto (4)
Concerto for piano and orchestra No.3 Op.30
Key: d-moll Composed in: 1909 Playing time: 43 min 00 sec
Works with orchestral accompaniment (1)
Piano Solo (14)
sonata (3)
etude (2)
prelude (2)
variation (2)
fuga (2)
character pieces (7)
Paraphrase (2)
Flight of the Bumble-Bee(Rimsky-Korsakov: Opera "The Legend of Tsar Saltan")
Playing time: 1 min 20 sec
Reduction/Arrangement (10)
Composed in: 1915 Playing time: 3 min 30 sec
transcription (3)
Piano Ensemble (3)
Reduction/Arrangement (4)
Concerto for piano and orchestra No.2 (arranged for 2 pianos by the composer)
Playing time: 35 min 00 sec
Various works (7)
Chamber Music (5)
sonata (3)
romance (2)
character pieces (2)
Lied (1)
pieces (3)
