Today marks the 135th birth anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff, the illustrious Russian composer, pianist and conductor. He was not only a brilliant keyboard artist but a gifted composer who expanded the piano repertory. He followed in the footsteps of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and other Russian composers with expressive coloration, memorable melodies, Slavic tunes and rich orchestration.
He displayed a virtuoustic piano technique marked by intense musicianship; his repertory consisted of his own works and many of the standard pieces by Beethoven, Borodin, Chopin, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, etc.
He utilized his own abilities and performing skills to write challenging music that explored the full potential and eloquent possibilities of the instrument.
As a young, conservatory student, he published a set of five piano pieces which included the popular Prelude in C-sharp minor. His one act opera Aleko was accepted for performance by the Bolshoi Theater on May 9, 1893. Unfortunately, his first symphony did not receive the acclaim that he sought, and he experienced violent depressions. Eventually he overcame his dejection and inertia and achieved success in the performance of his Piano Concerto #2 with the Moscow Philharmonic on October 27, 1901. He conducted opera at the Moscow Grand Theater while maintaining an active composing and piano recital schedule.
He left Russia in December 1917 and eventually settled in the United States. He celebrated the 30th anniversary of his American debut in 1939 with a three concert set in Philadelphia in which he appeared as composer, conductor and pianist in his three concertos. Although he tried to do a farewell tour in February 1943, he grew frailer and died shortly thereafter.
For further study of Rachmaninoff, the Library has Sergei Bertenson's Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music, Geoffrey Norris' Rakhmaninov and Robert Rimm's The Composer-Pianists: Hamelin and The Eight. His numerous compact discs may be checked out from the Audio-Visual Department.