Sergey Rachmaninov

Sergei Rachamaninov (1873 – 1943) was one of the last proponents of the Late-Romantic Russian tradition. Like the great piano virtuosi of the 19th century, Rachmaninov composed as well as performed but the melodic and structural invention in his piano works were never sacrificed to virtuoso showmanship. Spending his formative years in Imperial Russia, his confidence in his compositional abilities was almost crushed by Glazunov's botched performance of the premiere of his First Symphony in 1897.

After the Revolution, Rachmaninov chose to go into impoverished exile and eventually settled in America in 1918 where he managed to make a living as a concert pianist and eventually as a composer. Up until his death he recorded extensively for RCA, a valuable archive of superlative performances. Rachmaninov wrote some of the most popular late romantic music of the twentieth century including the Second Piano Concerto, the Second Symphony and the Paganini Variations.

Key Works: Symphony No. 2, Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Etudes-tableaux,Piano Sonata No. 2, Variations on a Theme of Corelli

Key Artists: Leif Ove Andsnes, Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Horowitz, Andrew Litton, Mikhail Pletnev, Andre Previn, Sergei Rachmaninov, Svitoslav Richter, Simon Trpceski

Influenced by: Chopin, Glazunov, Mozart, Rachmaninov