Today marks the 147th birthday of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, a towering Russian composer not only in his homeland, but all across the musical world. His birthday is a great occasion to take a look at his life and his works. You may also be interested my companion post covering his piano works.

I will leave a short biography below, share some resources, and share some of my favorite pieces of his. I welcome everyone reading to join me below.

Biographical Outline

Rachmaninoff had a very long (70 years) and eventful life. In the interest of brevity, I will try to just hit the major points, but it can often be difficult to decide what to mention and what to gloss over.

1873-1885

• Born in Semyonovo, Russia (near Novgorod) on April 1, 1873
• Both parents were pianists, and started giving him piano lessons at the age of 4 after noticing his inclination towards music. His training thereafter consisted of a live-in teacher from Saint Petersburg, Rachmaninoff himself studying in the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, and studying under his cousin, Alexander Siloti, a former student of Franz Liszt, in Moscow.

1885-1906

• He would stay in Moscow from 1885 to 1906
• He met and befriended his peer Alexander Scriabin during this period.
• His career as a composer took off during his time in Moscow: his first symphony, first piano concerto, Op. 3 Morceaux de Fantaisie, and second piano concerto are notable compositions from this period.
• He met Tchaikovsky during this period, who would be a great mentor and inspiration for Rachmaninoff until the former’s death in 1893. Rachmaninoff would immediately begin composing his Trio élégiaque in G Minor upon hearing the news of his Tchaikovsky’s death.

1906-1917

• This period saw Rachmaninoff life become quite mobile
• He and his family moved to Dresden, Germany for several years in 1906, while making frequent summer trips back to Russia.
• Gave concert tours and traveled a great deal: Finland; England; Russia; More German areas; a notable 1909 concert in New York City.
• Went on a notable concert tour in 1915 after hearing about the death of Alexander Scriabin, in which he performed only Scriabin’s works.

1917-1942

• Fled Russia at the start of the Russian Revolution, and spent a year in Helsinki, Finland before moving to New York City in 1918. He would stay in New York until 1942.
• Leaving his homeland put a great dent in his composition: “I left behind my desire to compose: losing my country, I lost myself also.”
• His 1928 meeting of Vladimir Horowitz sparked a friendship that would last the rest of Rachmaninoff’s life, and spurred a bit more frequent composition. They both had a great deal of admiration and respect for each other. “This is the way I always dreamed my [3rd] concerto should be played, but I never expected to hear it that way on Earth.”

1942-1943

• Amid a series of health issues, Rachmaninoff and his composer moved to the warmer city of Beverly Hills, California in 1942.
• He would die just a year later, on March 28, 1943. One month after he and his wife officially became US citizens.

Compositional Output

The pure number of pieces Rachmaninoff may not be that impressive, but the amount of music that pours out of each piece is astonishing.

He composed:

• Three Symphonies – (1), (2), and (3)
• A handful of Symphonic Poems and Symphonic Suites
• A handful of Chamber works
• Four Piano Concertos – (1), (2), (3), and (4)
• A very significant amount of solo piano works: discussed in detail in this post of mine
• Three Operas – Aleko, The Miserly Knight, and Francesca Da Rimini
• Several Choral works – (Op.15), (Op.20), (Op.31), (Op.35), (Op.37), and (Op.41), just to name the ones with opus numbers.
• Dozens of (underrated) Songs for Voice and Piano – (Op.4), (Op.8), (Op.14), (Op.21), (Op.26), (Op.34), and (Op.38) just to name the major collections.

Personal Favorites

• I discuss my favorite solo piano works of his in this post.
• Piano Concerto No. 2 – This is an incredible piece of music, and Zimerman does a great job with it. The second movement is one of everyone’s favorites, and it deserves that opinion; it really is transcendent.
• I am a big fan of his Three Russian Songs – Op. 41 – “Russian” isn’t just thrown into the title for fun: these songs are very inspired by Russia’s rich culture. Rachmaninoff had a great sense when it came to capturing things like this.
• Cello Sonata in G Minor – Really a sonata for cello and piano, as the two instruments are given equal attention. Nonetheless, this is still a staple in the cello concert repertoire, despite the incredible (-ly difficult) piano part. Technique aside, it is a lovely composition. I especially like the Finale.

Quotes

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”

Sergei Rachmaninoff

“I feel like a ghost wandering in a world grown alien. I cannot cast out the old way of writing and I cannot acquire the new. I have made an intense effort to feel the musical manner of today, but it will not come to me.”

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1939)

Afterthoughts

Rachmaninoff really is an incredible composer and is rightfully quite famous still. His music is still programmed in concert programs around the world. At the same time, I feel like much of his oeuvre is ignored in favor of a handful of incredibly famous pieces. If there is ever a day to take the dive into the rest of his works, his birthday is certainly it.

I hope this post was informative or interesting to some of those reading. As mentioned before: feel free to share any recommendations or anecdotes in the comment section.

Otherwise, happy listening, and happy exploring~