Rachmaninov Edition 31 Cd
Rachmaninoff at age 10Rachmaninoff was born into a family of the in the. The family name can be traced back to the 1400s when Yelena, the daughter of, married the eldest son of,. A son named Vasily was nicknamed 'Rachmanin', meaning 'lazy' in. Rachmaninoff's family had strong musical and military leanings.
His paternal grandfather, Arkady Alexandrovich, was a musician who had taken lessons from Irish composer. His father, Vasily Arkadyevich 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 her five estates as part of her. The couple had three sons and three daughters, Sergei being their fourth child.It is unclear on which of the two family estates Rachmaninoff was born: either Oneg, near, or Semyonovo, near.
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His birth was registered in a church in the latter district, but he was raised in Oneg until aged nine and he himself cited it as his birthplace in his adult life. Rachmaninoff began piano and music lessons organised by his mother at age four. 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, to live with the family and begin formal teaching. Rachmaninoff dedicated his piano composition 'Spring Waters' from 12 Romances, Op. 14 to Ornatskaya.Rachmaninoff's father had to auction off the Oneg estate in 1882 due to his financial incompetence; the family's five estates were now reduced to one. Rachmaninoff remained critical of his father in later life, describing him as 'a wastrel, a compulsive gambler, a pathological liar, and a skirt chaser'.
The family moved to a small flat in Saint Petersburg. 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. His maternal grandmother stepped in to help raise the children with particular focus on their spiritual life, regularly taking Rachmaninoff to services where he first experienced chants and church bells, two features he would incorporate in his future compositions. Alexander Siloti and RachmaninoffIn 1885, Rachmaninoff suffered further loss when his sister Yelena died at age eighteen of. She was an important musical influence to Rachmaninoff who had introduced him to the works of. As a respite, his grandmother took him to a farm retreat by the where Rachmaninoff developed a love for rowing.
At the Conservatory, however, he had adopted a relaxed attitude and failed his general education classes, and purposely altered his report cards in what composer called a period of 'purely Russian self-delusion and laziness'. Rachmaninoff performed at events held at the Moscow Conservatory during this time, including those attended by the and other notable figures, but upon his failing his spring exams Ornatskaya notified his mother that his admission to further education might be revoked. His mother then consulted with, her nephew and an accomplished pianist and student of, who recommended he be transferred to the and receive lessons from his former teacher, the more strict, which lasted until 1888. Moscow Conservatory and first compositions, 1885–1894 In the autumn of 1885, Rachmaninoff moved in with Zverev and stayed for almost four years, during which he befriended fellow pupil. After two years of tuition, the fifteen year old Rachmaninoff was awarded a scholarship, and graduated from the lower division of the Conservatory to become a pupil of Siloti in advanced piano, in counterpoint, and in free composition. 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. 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.
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. It is from these letters that many of Rachmaninoff's can be traced. Ivanovka was the ideal location for Rachmaninoff to composeRachmaninoff spent his summer break in 1890 with the Satins at, their private country estate near, to which the composer would return many times until 1917. The peaceful and bucolic surroundings became a source of inspiration for the composer who completed many compositions while at the estate, including his 1, the, which he dedicated to Siloti, in July 1891. Also that year, Rachmaninoff completed the one-movement and the symphonic poem. 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 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. His progress was unexpectedly halted in the latter half of 1891 when he contracted a severe case of malaria during his summer break at Ivankova.During his final year at the Conservatory, Rachmaninoff performed his first independent concert, where he premiered his in February 1892, followed by a performance of the first movement of his Piano Concerto No.
1 a month later. His request to take his final theory and composition exams a year early was also granted, for which he wrote, a one-act opera based on the narrative poem The Gypsies by, in seventeen days. It premiered in May 1892 at the which Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff for his work.
Rachmaninoff believed it was 'sure to fail', but the production was so successful the theatre agreed to produce it starring singer who would become a lifelong friend. Aleko earned Rachmaninoff the highest mark at the Conservatory and a Great Gold Medal, a distinction only previously awarded to Taneyev. Zverev, a member of the exam committee, gave the composer his gold watch, thus ending years of estrangement. On 29 May 1892, the Conservatory issued Rachmaninoff with a diploma which allowed him to officially style himself as a 'Free Artist'. Rachmaninoff playing his, which he completed in 1892 and established his fame in America.Problems playing this file?
See.Upon graduating, Rachmaninoff continued to compose and signed a 500-rouble publishing contract with Gutheil, under which Aleko, Two Pieces (Op. 2) and Six Songs (Op. 4) were among the first published. The composer had previously earned 15 roubles a month in giving piano lessons. He spent the summer of 1892 on the estate of Ivan Konavalov, a rich landowner in the, and moved back with the Satins in the. 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 from his five-part piano composition piece (Op. 3). He was paid 50 roubles for his appearance. It was well received and became one of his most enduring pieces.
In 1893, he completed his tone poem, dedicated to Rimsky-Korsakov.In 1893, Rachmaninoff spent a productive summer with friends at an estate in where he composed several pieces, including (aka Suite No. 1, Op. 5) and (Op. 10). In September, he published Six Songs (Op. 8), a group of songs set to translations by of Ukrainian and German poems. Rachmaninoff returned to Moscow, where Tchaikovsky agreed to conduct The Rock for an upcoming European tour.
During his subsequent trip to to conduct performances of Aleko, he learned of from. The news left Rachmaninoff stunned; later that day, he started work on his for piano, violin and cello as a tribute, which he completed within a month. The music's aura of gloom reveals the depth and sincerity of Rachmaninoff's grief for his idol. The piece debuted at the first concert devoted to Rachmaninoff's compositions on 31 January 1894. 1, depression, and conducting debut, 1894–1900 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.
To earn more money, Rachmaninoff returned to giving piano lessons, 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.
In September 1895, before the tour started, Rachmaninoff completed his (Op. 13), a work conceived in January and based on chants he had heard in Russian Orthodox church services. Rachmaninoff had worked so hard on it that he could not return to composition until he heard the piece performed. 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. 16), his final completed composition for several months.
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Rachmaninoff in 1902By 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, to which Rachmaninoff agreed without resistance.
Between January and April 1900, Rachmaninoff underwent hypnotherapy and psychotherapy sessions with Dahl on a daily basis, 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.
His first fully completed work, the, 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. The piece earned the composer a, the first of five awarded to him throughout his life, and a 500-rouble prize in 1904.Amid his professional career success, Rachmaninoff married Natalia Satina on 12 May 1902 after a three-year engagement. Because they were first cousins, the marriage was forbidden under a 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.
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 as best men. They received the smaller of two houses at the Ivanovka estate as a present and went on a three-month honeymoon across Europe. Upon their return, they settled in Moscow, where they had two daughters, Irina Sergeievna Rachmaninova (1903–1969) and Tatiana Sergeievna Rachmaninova (1907–1961). Rachmaninoff resumed work as a music teacher at St. Catherine's Women's College and the Elizabeth Institute. By February 1903 he had completed his largest piano composition of his career at the time, the (Op.
Development on other pieces was disrupted after Natalia, Irina, and he were struck with illness during their summer break at Ivanovka. The in 1905, during Rachmaninoff's time as conductorIn 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. Influenced by, 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. The theatre staged the premiere of his operas and.In the course of his second season as conductor, Rachmaninoff lost interest in his post. The social and political unrest surrounding the 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. In February 1906, after conducting 50 performances in the first season and 39 in the second, Rachmaninoff handed in his resignation.
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. 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. Move to Dresden and first US tour, 1906–1917 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, Germany, in November 1906. The city had become a favourite of both Rachmaninoff and Natalia, presenting them with a more vibrant musical atmosphere and favourable opportunities. The family stayed in Dresden until 1909, only returning to Russia for their summer breaks at Ivanovka.
During a visit to, he entered an art gallery which housed. The painting served as the inspiration for Rachmaninoff's, Op. Despite occasional periods of depression, apathy, and little faith in any of his work, Rachmaninoff started on his (Op. 27) in 1906, twelve years after the disastrous premiere of his first. While writing it, Rachmaninoff and the family returned to Russia, but the composer detoured to Paris to take part in '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.
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. Rachmaninoff proofing his at the, 1910While in Dresden, Rachmaninoff agreed to perform and conduct in the United States as part of the 1909–10 concert season with conductor and the.
He spent time during breaks at Ivanovka finishing a new piece specially for the visit, his (Op. 30), which he dedicated to. 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 in for a recital on 4 November 1909. The second performance of the Piano Concerto No. 3 by the was conducted by in New York City with the composer as soloist, an experience he personally treasured. Though the tour increased the composer's popularity in America, he declined subsequent offers, including that of conductor of the Boston Symphony, due to the length of time away from Russia and his family.Upon his return home in February 1910, Rachmaninoff became vice president of the, whose president was a member of the royal family.
Later in 1910, Rachmaninoff completed his choral work (Op. 31), but it was banned from performance as it did not follow the format of a typical church service. 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. In 1912, Rachmaninoff left the IRMS when he learned that a musician in an administrative post was dismissed for being Jewish.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 while his family stayed at a boardinghouse. While there he received an anonymous letter that contained a Russian translation of 's poem by, which affected him greatly, and he began work on his of the same title, Op.
35, based on it. This period of composition ended abruptly when Rachmaninoff's daughters contracted serious cases of 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. The composer conducted The Bells at its premiere in Saint Petersburg in late 1913.In January 1914, Rachmaninoff began a concert tour of England which was enthusiastically received. He was too afraid to travel alone following the death of of an unexpected heart attack in his hotel room which left the composer wary of a similar fate. Following the outbreak of 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.
In 1915, Rachmaninoff completed his second major choral work, (Op. 37), after he attended a performance of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and felt disappointed with it. After spending two weeks writing the All-Night Vigil, he passed the score to for proofreading and correcting errors in its, but it was returned unaltered. It was received so warmly at its Moscow premiere in aid of war relief that four subsequent performances were quickly scheduled.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.
It marked his first public performances of works other than his own. During a vacation in that summer, Rachmaninoff learned of Taneyev's death, a loss which affected him greatly. By year's end he had finished his 14 Romances (Op. 34), whose final section, became one of his most popular songs. Leaving Russia, immigration to the US, and concert pianist, 1917–1925 On the day the began in Saint Petersburg, Rachmaninoff performed a piano recital in Moscow in aid of wounded Russian soldiers who had fought in the war. This was followed two months later with a visit to Ivanovka, where he found the house in chaos after a group of members seized it as their own communal property.
Despite having invested most of his earnings on the estate Rachmaninoff left after three weeks, vowing never to return. It was soon confiscated by the communist authorities and became derelict.Following an August break with his family in the more peaceful, he performed at nearby on 5 September, which was to be his final concert in Russia.
On his return to Moscow, the political tension surrounding the found the composer keeping his family safe indoors as often as possible and being involved in a collective at his apartment building, attending committee meetings and carrying out civil guard duties at night. He completed revisions to his Piano Concerto No. 1 among gunshots and rallies outside. Amidst such turmoil, Rachmaninoff received an unexpected offer to perform ten piano recitals across which he immediately accepted, using it as an excuse to quickly obtain permits for his family to leave the country. On 22 December 1917, the Rachmaninoffs left Saint Petersburg by train to the Finnish border, from where they travelled through Finland on an open sledge and train to. Carrying what they could pack into their small suitcases, Rachmaninoff brought some notebooks with sketches of compositions and scores to the first act of his unfinished opera and Rimsky-Korsakov's opera.
They arrived in, Sweden, on 24 December. In January 1918, they relocated to, Denmark, and, with the help of friend and composer Nikolai von Struve, settled on the ground floor of a house. 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. His piano repertoire was small, which prompted the start of regular practise of his technique and learning new pieces to play. Rachmaninoff toured between February and October 1918.During the Scandinavian tour, Rachmaninoff received three offers from the US: to become the conductor of the for two years, to conduct 110 concerts in 30 weeks for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and to give 25 piano recitals. He declined them all, worried about such a commitment in a country he hardly knew and had few fond memories of from his debut tour in 1909. Yet Rachmaninoff now considered the United States as financially advantageous, as he would not earn enough to support his family through composition alone.
He was unable to afford the travel fees, but his fortunes changed when Russian banker and fellow emigre Alexander Kamenka agreed to give him an advance loan for the journey. He also received assistance from friends and admirers; pianist gave them $2,000. On 1 November 1918, the family boarded the in, Norway, bound for New York City, arriving eleven days later.
News of Rachmaninoff's arrival spread, causing a crowd of musicians, artists, and fans to gather outside hotel where he was staying.Rachmaninoff quickly dealt with business, hiring Dagmar Rybner, daughter of the Professor of Music at, as his secretary, interpreter, and aide in dealing with American life. He reunited with who informed several concert managers that the composer was available and suggested that Rachmaninoff use the services of Charles Ellis as his booking agent.
The composer agreed, and Ellis organised 36 performances for the 1918–1919 concert season; the first took place on 8 December 1918 at with a piano recital. Rachmaninoff, still in recovery from a case of the, included his own arrangement of ' in the program. Before the tour he had received offers from numerous piano manufacturers to tour with their instruments, yet he chose, the only one that did not offer him money.
Steinway's association with Rachmaninoff continued for the rest of his life. Rachmaninoff in front of a giant in California, 1919With the concert season over in April 1919, Rachmaninoff took his family on a break to, California where he recuperated and prepared for the upcoming season. He adopted such a schedule over the next several years, performing across the country followed by a period of rest and practise. Performing allowed him to become financially secure without much difficulty, and he and his family lived an upper middle class life with servants, a chef, and chauffeur. They recreated the atmosphere of their Ivanovka estate in their New York City home, entertaining Russian guests, employing Russians and observing Russian customs. Though he could speak some English, Rachmaninoff had all his correspondence translated into Russian.
He allowed himself some luxury, including quality tailored suits and the latest model of cars.In 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a recording contract with the which earned him some much needed income and began his longtime association with. During a family holiday in 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. Early 1921 saw Rachmaninoff apply for documentation to visit Russia, the only time he would do so after leaving the country, but progress ceased following his decision to undergo surgery for pain in his right temple. The operation failed to relieve his symptoms; he only found relief after having dental work later in the decade. After leaving hospital, he purchased an apartment on 33 Riverside Drive on the of Manhattan, overlooking the. There too he maintained a Russian atmosphere by observing Russian customs, serving Russian food, and employing Russian servants.Rachmaninoff's first visit to Europe since emigrating to the US occurred in May 1922 with concerts in London.
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. For a while he rented a railway carriage that was fitted with a piano and belongings to save time packing and unpacking suitcases. In 1924, Rachmaninoff declined an invitation to become conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In the following year, after the death of the husband of his daughter Tatiana, he founded TAIR, a Paris publishing company named after his daughters and specialising in works by himself and other Russian composers. Touring, final compositions, and Villa Senar, 1926–1942 Demanding tour schedules caused Rachmaninoff's composition output to slow significantly; between his arrival to the US in 1918 and his death, he completed just six compositions barring some revisions to previous works and piano transcriptions for his concert repertoire. The composer later admitted that by leaving Russia, 'I left behind my desire to compose: losing my country, I lost myself also'.
In 1926, after concentrating on touring for the past eight years, he took a year's break from performing and completed the first two of the last of his six pieces, the, which he had started in 1917, and which he dedicated to. Rachmaninoff sought the company of fellow Russian musicians and befriended pianist in 1928.
The men remained supportive of each other's work, each making a point of attending concerts given by the other. Horowitz remained a champion of Rachmaninoff's solo works and his Piano Concerto No. 3, about which Rachmaninoff remarked publicly after a performance in 1942: 'This is the way I always dreamed my concerto should be played, but I never expected to hear it that way on Earth.' In 1930, in a rare occurrence, Rachmaninoff allowed Italian composer to orchestrate pieces from his (1911) and the (1917), giving Respighi the inspirations behind the compositions.From 1929 to 1931, Rachmaninoff spent his summers in France at near, meeting with fellow Russian emigres 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 in Switzerland near and oversaw the construction of his new home, naming it after the first two letters of his and his wife's name, adding the 'r' from the family name.
Rachmaninoff would spend the summer at Villa Senar until 1939, often with his daughters and grandchildren, with whom he would partake in one of his favourite activities, driving his motorboat on. In the comfort of his own villa, Rachmaninoff completed his in 1934 and in 1936.In 1931, Rachmaninoff and several others signed an article in that criticised the cultural policies of the. The composer's music suffered a boycott in Russia as a result from the backlash in the Soviet press, lasting until 1933.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. 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 Rachmaninoff, his wife, and two daughters were together for the last time before the composer left a now war-torn Europe on 23 August. Rachmaninoff would support Russia's war effort against throughout the course of, donating receipts from many of his concerts that season in benefit of the.Upon his return to the US, Rachmaninoff performed with the in New York City with conductor 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. The final concert on 10 December saw Rachmaninoff conduct his Symphony No. 3 and The Bells, marking his first conducting post since 1917. The concert season left Rachmaninoff tired, despite calling it 'rather successful', and spent the summer resting from minor surgery at Orchard's Point, an estate near on. During this restful period Rachmaninoff completed his final composition, (Op. 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.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. In the early 1940s, Rachmaninoff was approached by the makers of the British film to write a short concerto-like piece for use in the film, but he declined. The job went to and the orchestrator, who came up with the. Illness, move to California, and death, 1942–1943 In early 1942, Rachmaninoff was advised by his doctor to relocate to a warmer climate to improve his health after suffering from, high blood pressure, and headaches. After completing his final studio recording sessions during this time in February, 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 in May.
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. Later in 1942, Rachmaninoff invited to dinner, the two sharing their worries of a war-torn Russia and their children in France.Shortly after a performance at the 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. The tour began on 12 October 1942 and the composer received many positive reviews from critics despite his deteriorating health.
Rachmaninoff and his wife Natalia were among the 220 people who became American citizens at a ceremony held in New York City on 1 February 1943. 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. His wife took Rachmaninoff home where he reunited with his daughter Irina. 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 under the baton of, and his last recital, given on February 17 at the Alumni Memorial Gymnasium/Auditorium at the in, included the by Chopin, which contains a funeral march.
Rachmaninoff's grave at in May 2006Rachmaninoff's health rapidly declined in the last week of March 1943. He was turned off by food, 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. A message from several Moscow composers with greetings had arrived too late for Rachmaninoff to read it. His funeral took place at the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church on Micheltorena Street in.
In his will, Rachmaninoff wished to be buried at in Moscow, the same as Scriabin, Taneyev, and, but his American citizenship could not see the request through. Instead, he was interred at in on 1 June.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.After Rachmaninoff's death, poet published fifteen letters they exchanged from their first contact in February 1912 and their final meeting in July 1917. The nature of their relationship bordered on romantic, but was primarily intellectual and emotional. Shaginyan and the poetry she shared with Rachmaninoff has been cited as the inspiration for the six songs that make up his Six Songs, Op. 38.A statue marked 'Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert', designed and sculpted by Victor Bokarev, stands at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville as a tribute.Works.
Rachmaninoff at the piano (1936 or before)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, a staunch friend. 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.
1919 Rachmaninoff recording of 's forOne 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.'
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.A recording which showcases Rachmaninoff's approach is the Second Polonaise, recorded in 1925., who had been influenced by the composer and Liszt specialist, 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. Speculations about Marfan syndrome and acromegaly Along with his musical gifts, Rachmaninoff possessed physical gifts that may have placed him in good stead as a pianist.
These gifts included exceptional height and extremely large hands with a gigantic finger stretch (he could play the chord C E ♭ G C G with his left hand). This and Rachmaninoff's slender frame, long limbs, narrow head, prominent ears, and thin nose suggest that he may have had, a hereditary disorder of the. 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, although others have pointed out that this was more likely because he was playing the piano all day long. This Marfan speculation was proposed by Dr. Young (formerly principal scientist of the ) in a 1986 British Medical Journal article. Twenty years later, an article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, by Ramachandran and Aronson differed greatly from Young's speculation:The size of Rachmaninov's hands may have been a manifestation of Marfan's syndrome, their size and slenderness typical of arachnodactyly.
However, Rachmaninov did not clearly exhibit any of the other clinical characteristics typical of Marfan's, such as, and eye or cardiac complications. Nor did he express any of the clinical effects of a Marfan-related syndrome, such as Beal's syndrome , Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, homocystinuria, Stickler syndrome, or Sphrintzen-Goldberg syndrome. There is no indication that his immediate family had similar hand spans, ruling out familial arachnodactyly. Rachmaninov did not display any signs of digital clubbing or any obvious hypertrophic skin changes associated with pachydermoperiostitis.Acromegaly is an alternative diagnosis.
From photographs of Rachmaninov in the 1920s and his portrait by Konstantin Somov in 1925 (Figure 1), at a time when he was recording his four piano concerti, the coarse facial features of acromegaly are not immediately apparent. However, a case can be made from later photographs.During a heavy concert schedule in Russia in 1912, he interrupted his schedule because of stiffness in his hands. This may have been due to overuse, although carpal tunnel syndrome or simply swelling and puffiness of the hands associated with acromegaly may have been the cause.
In 1942, Rachmaninov made a final revision of his troublesome Fourth Concerto but composed no more new music. A rapidly progressing melanoma forced him to break off his 1942–1943 concert tour after a recital in Knoxville, Tennessee. A little over five weeks later he died in the house he had bought the year before on Elm Drive in Beverly Hills. Melanoma is associated with acromegaly and may have been a final clue to Rachmaninov's diagnosis.But then again, perhaps he just had big hands.Contrary to rumors that he was 'six and a half feet' (198 cm), Rachmaninoff's height is documented in two U.S. Immigration manifests at, on 10 November 1918 and 30 October 1924, as being 6 ft 1 in (185 cm). However, conductor Eugene Ormandy, who teamed with Rachmaninoff in many piano and orchestra performances, recalled in 1979: 'He Rachmaninoff was about six feet-three (193 cm). I am five feet-five and a half (168 cm).'
Therefore, Rachmaninoff's height would also not be considered a physical deformity or abnormality. Recordings.
See also: Phonograph Many of Rachmaninoff's recordings are acknowledged classics. In 1919, Rachmaninoff recorded a selection of piano pieces for on their ' records, as they claimed the best in piano recording., who was quite deaf, did not care for Rachmaninoff's playing, or for classical music in general, and referred to him as a 'pounder' at their initial meeting. However, staff at the Edison recording studio in New York City asked Edison to reconsider his dismissive position, resulting in a limited contract for ten released sides. Rachmaninoff recorded on a Lauter concert grand piano, one of the few the company made. He 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, where strict company policy demanded three good takes of each piece in case of damage or wear to the masters.
Rachmaninoff and Edison Records were pleased with the released discs and wished to record more, but Edison refused, saying the ten sides were sufficient. A advertisement from March 1921 featuring RachmaninoffIn 1920, Rachmaninoff signed a contract with the (later ). 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 imposed a on their members in a strike over. Rachmaninoff died in March 1943, over a year and a half before RCA Victor settled with the union and resumed commercial recording activity.Particularly renowned are his renditions of Schumann's and Chopin's, along with many shorter pieces. He recorded all four of his piano concertos with the, including two versions of the second concerto with conducting (an abridged acoustical recording in 1924 and a complete electrical recording in 1929), and a world premiere recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, soon after the first performance (1934) with the Philadelphians under Stokowski. The first, third, and fourth concertos were recorded with in 1939–41.
Rachmaninoff also made three recordings conducting the in his own, his symphonic poem, and his orchestration of. All of these recordings were reissued by RCA Victor in a 10-CD set 'Sergei Rachmaninoff The Complete Recordings' (RCA Victor Gold Seal 5-2).In an article for Gramophone, April 1931, Rachmaninoff defended an earlier stated view on the musical value of radio, about which he was sceptical: 'the modern gramophone and modern methods of recording are musically superior to wireless transmission in every way'.
Piano rolls. A Russian Federation commemorative Rachmaninoff coinRachmaninoff was also involved in various ways with music on. Several manufacturers, and in particular the Aeolian Company, had published his compositions on perforated music rolls from about 1900 onwards. His sister-in-law, Sofia Satina, remembered him at the family estate at Ivanovka, pedalling gleefully through a set of rolls of his Second Piano Concerto, apparently acquired from a German source, most probably the Aeolian Company's Berlin subsidiary, the Choralion Company. Aeolian in London created a set of three rolls of this concerto in 1909, which remained in the catalogues of its various successors until the late 1970s.From 1919 he made 35 piano rolls (12 of which were his own compositions), for the 's. According to the Ampico publicity department, he initially disbelieved that a roll of punched paper could provide an accurate record, so he was invited to listen to a proof copy of his first recording. After the performance, he was quoted as saying 'Gentlemen—I, Sergei Rachmaninoff, have just heard myself play!'
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. Bertensson, Sergei; Leyda, Jay (2001). (Paperback ed.). New York University Press. Cannata, David Butler (1999).
Rachmaninoff and The Symphony. Studien Verlag. Cunningham, Robert E. Greenwood Publishing Group. Greene, David Mason (1985). Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation.
Rachmaninov Edition 31 Cd Release
Harrison, Max (2006). Bloomsbury Publishing. Lyle, Watson (1939). Reeves Bookseller Limited. Martyn, Barrie (1990). Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor. Scolar Press.
Norris, Geoffrey;, eds. MacMillan. Norris, Geoffrey (2000). Oxford University Press. Riesemann, Oskar von (1934).
Macmillan. Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai (1989). Faber and Faber. Robinson, Harlow (2007). Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood's Russians: Biography of an Image. UPNE.
(1998). The Lives of the Great Composers (3 ed.). Abacus. (1988). Vintage. Scott, Michael (2011). The History Press.
Seroff, Victor Ilyitch (1950). Simon & Schuster.
Sylvester, Richard D. Rachmaninoff's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations. Indiana University Press. Threlfall, Robert; Norris, G. A Catalogue of the Compositions of Rachmaninoff.
London: Scolar Press. Wehrmeyer, Andreas (2004). Haus Publishing.Further reading. Norris, Geoffrey (2002). Oxford University Press.External links Wikiquote has quotations related to:Wikimedia Commons has media related to.has the text of a 1922 article about ' '. at the.
discography at. at. at the (archived 27 October 2009). on from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR).
(in Russian)Free scores. at. at. (in Italian). at the (IMSLP).
in the (ChoralWiki).
Interesting that Melodiya uses Rachmaninoff's preferred Anglican spelling instead of the correct transliteration 'Rachmaninov.' Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra were Rachmaninoff's chosen conductor and orchestra: the composer's own recordings have been available since they were made in the 1920's and 30's. Ormandy recorded Symphony II four times (Minneapolis, Philadelphia(mono LP), Philadelphia (stereo Columbia) and Philadelphia (stereo RCA).
The latter RCA recording was the first reading to open all the cuts that Rachmaninoff agreed to with Ormandy for his earlier interpretations: I've heard both live, and Rachmaninoff was right to authorize the cuts: they make the musical drama much more straightforward and effective, IMHO.As for the Vespers, a complete version was recorded by the great Russian choir director Alexander Svehnikov during the 1960's and has been available sporadically here in the West: it's a magnificent (a cappella, of course) piece, and well worth one's time. Rachmaninoff's Songs (or Romances) have also been issued here complete.Still, I might be interested in acquiring this set. Maestrob wrote:Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra were Rachmaninoff's chosen conductor and orchestraThe Philadelphia Orchestra under Stokowski and Ormandy were RCA Victor's choice for Rachmaninoff's recordings with orchestra, but he often performed with many other orchestras, notably the New York Philharmonic under conductors from Walter Damrosch to Dimitri Mitropoulos (but not Toscanini). Maybe Rachmaninoff did personally prefer the Philadelphia Orchestra - it would be interesting to know. Maestrob wrote:Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra were Rachmaninoff's chosen conductor and orchestraThe Philadelphia Orchestra under Stokowski and Ormandy were RCA Victor's choice for Rachmaninoff's recordings with orchestra, but he often performed with many other orchestras, notably the New York Philharmonic under conductors from Walter Damrosch to Dimitri Mitropoulos (but not Toscanini). Maybe Rachmaninoff did personally prefer the Philadelphia Orchestra - it would be interesting to know.Well, while it's true that Rachmaninoff (IIRC) made his home in Manhattan (Riverside Drive), but we Philadelphians took pride in knowing that he premiered (Piano Concerto IV, Symphony III and Symphonic Dances) and recorded his compositions in Philadelphia. He also chose to perform with Ormandy/Philadelphia in NY at Carnegie Hall.
Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:26 pmAnd he premiered his 3rd piano concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Mahler. I'm not taking anything away from Philadelphia, my father grew up there at the time those concerto recordings were being made, but I'd like to see Rachmaninoff actually saying he preferred that orchestra and conductor, rather than inferring it from perhaps inconclusive evidence.Oh well, now that's a conundrum. Why would Rachmaninoff say such a thing out loud, and offend nearly everybody? I think his choice of conductor (Ormandy/Stokowski) speaks for itself. I've found a reference to Rachmaninoff liking Ormandy, but it's in the middle of a hatchet job by Joseph Horowitz and comes from a questionable source, Charles O'Connell's 'The Other Side of the Record.'
But you may consider Horowitz questionable, as he's the author of 'Understanding Toscanini.' Anyway:The new Marston 3-CD set “Rachmaninoff Plays Symphonic Dances” – the topic of my previous blog – permits a glimpse of this “real” Rachmaninoff: a supreme instrumentalist more emotionally aroused than the one O’Connell managed to capture in sound. Rachmaninoff’s private rendering of his Symphonic Dances, as recorded by Ormandy (probably without the pianist’s knowledge), is an unprecedented opportunity to eavesdrop on Rachmaninoff performing absent the intrusive self-awareness imposed by RCA’s microphones.This historic release also suggests another impediment to hearing the real Rachmaninoff: Eugene Ormandy himself.Of the repertoire Rachmaninoff happened to record, only one extended composition embeds the searing nostalgia that was the expressive keynote of this great artist.
That is the Piano Concerto No. His 1939-40 recording, with Ormandy, is a dry run. The concerto’s lachrymose intensity is missing.That it did not have to be is proven by Rachmaninoff’s 1929 recording of a less emotionally fraught composition: the Piano Concerto No. The difference is the conductor, Ormandy’s irreplaceable predecessor in Philadelphia: Leopold Stokowski.Ormandy’s recorded accompaniments to Rachmaninoff’s First, Second, and Fourth Piano Concertos are merely supportive: they give the soloist nothing to work with. (My pianist friend George Vatchnadze, describing the Rachmaninoff-Ormandy relationship, calls Ormandy a “puppy” and a “servant” — apt adjectives.) Stokowski’s accompaniment to the Second Concerto is unique. The signature lava flow of his magnificent Philadelphia strings is not only memorably ravishing; it is acutely calibrated in dialogue with the composer/pianist.
It is not for nothing that Rachmaninoff called Stokowski’s Philadelphia Orchestra the greatest orchestra that had ever existed.If you want to hear what I’m talking about, listen first to the passage from the First Concerto that Vladimir Horowitz once identified as the only instance of RCA adequately conveying Rachmaninoff’s art. This is the piano solo beginning at 12:52. And observe how the intrusion of Ormandy’s generic accompaniment cancels the abandon of Rachmaninoff’s playing, with its untethered rubatos and magically layered dynamics.Now Stokowski – try the coda to the first movement of the Second Concerto, beginning at 8:45.
You’ll hear pianist and conductor immersed in an inspired dialogue: two exemplary instruments of musical expression – Stokowski’s orchestra and Rachmaninoff’s Steinway – feed one another.It is hardly surprising that once Ormandy took over, Stokowski did not guest-conduct in Philadelphia for more than two decades. Or that Stokowski, when passing through Philadelphia by train, would invariably lower the window shade.How is it possible that Eugene Ormandy could have succeeded Leopold Stokowski?
Both O’Connell and Arthur Judson, classical music’s supreme powerbroker, played decisive roles (O’Connell, in his book, testifies that Ormandy looked upon Judson “as on a father”). This choice — coinciding with refugee conductors of world stature looking for work in the US (Kleiber, Klemperer, etc.) — is one of the most parochial blunders in the institutional history of classical music in America.And how is it possible that Rachmaninoff chose to record with Ormandy?
According to O’Connell, “he preferred Ormandy to anyone, though he collaborated successfully and in the most friendly fashion with Stokowski.”But O’Connell held Ormandy in exaggerated esteem. And I read in Richard Taruskin’s copious note for the new Marston release that Rachmaninoff, his longtime loyalty to Philadelphia notwithstanding, didn’t care for Ormandy’s reading of the Symphonic Dances — his preferred conductor for that work (other than himself) being Dmitri Mitopoulos. The Marston set includes a scorching New York Philharmonic Symphonic Dances led by Mitropoulos in live performance in 1942.Another annotation for the new Marston release, by the producers, reports that Rachmaninoff’s preferred interpreters included Stokowski, Mitropoulos, and Willem Mengelberg – an informative list. These were sui generis conductors who never played by the rules. And, however constrained he may have been in the presence of Charles O’Connell and Eugene Ormandy – neither did Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Brilliant analysis. Thank you John.That said, I still consider Ormandy's Symphonic Dances my benchmark recording. Also, Stokowski made a recording of Symphony III for EMI late in his career, which bends the rules quite too much for my ears: I still prefer Ormandy, but that's my taste.Stokowski did return to Philadephia and record his arrangement of music from Tristan & Isolde in the early 1960's, and the orchestra plays for him at the highest level: it's one of my favorite recordings of all time.
Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:04 pmPerhaps of little relevance, but I believe it was reported that Vladimir Horowitz insisted on Ormandy conducting the NYPO on the TV broadcast of the Rach 3 in NYC they did ca. 1976?Yes, that's true.
Horowitz also insisted on no rehearsal with the orchestra before the concert, IIRC, and it shows in their rough, scrappy playing. Horowitz had terrible nerves at that point in his career, and he flubbed quite a few passages, which meant that retakes had to be done with the orchestra so that the concert could be released on CD. I agree with what John Francis relayed in his note above. I have, for a long time, heard that Ormandy was a “puppy” and a “servant' to those with whom he collaborated.
Having seen Ormandy live a number of times, some things he did supremely well, and probably most conductors would given the brilliance and quality of the Philadelphia Orchestra at that time. Horowitz, Rubinstein, Casadesus, Serkin, Istomin, Gilels, Stern, Oistrakh, Graffman, Rostropovich, Rose, Szigeti, Arrau, Francescatti, Piatigorsky, Perlman - among many others of the top-caliber list of performing musicians who recorded with Ormandy and the Philadelphia (who wouldn't?), especially if the conductor was a non-Szell or non-Toscanini type who were more notorious for their problems with soloists.
When Ormandy inherited the Philadelphia Orchestra from Stokowski, he inherited a fabulous 'instrument.' That sound lasted a long time, but invariably would change with time in the decades that followed Stokowski. But, in the same, breath, I also have to say that there are many Ormandy recordings I treasure. He was very fortunate to have the Philadelphia Orchestra at his disposal for such a long time.