Picture of author.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

Author of Vespers

1,168+ Works 2,854 Members 21 Reviews 3 Favorited

About the Author

Russian-born Sergey Rachmaninoff's early career was as a pianist, but Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky recognized his importance as a conductor and encouraged him to continue composing. At the age of 19, Rachmaninoff wrote Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, which became one of his most celebrated pieces throughout show more the world. By the age of 24, Rachmaninoff had composed the opera Aleko. His piano concertos are regarded by many as models of the late-romantic formulation of that genre. His music was eclectic in style, and his belief that music existed to reveal beauty left him opposed to Russian nationalist composers. In 1909 he first traveled to the United States. He became an exile as a result of the Russian Revolution and lived in Switzerland and the United States. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, George Grantham Bain Collection (REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-ggbain-33968) (cropped)

Series

Works by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Vespers (2017) — Composer — 86 copies
Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 [recordings] (1995) 27 copies, 1 review
Piano concertos no. 2 and 4 (sound recording) (1993) — Composer — 17 copies, 1 review
Aleko (1999) 12 copies
Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (1989) 11 copies
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor (Previn/LSO) (1994) — Composer; Composer — 10 copies
A Window in Time, Vol. 1 (1998) 9 copies
Album for the Piano (1986) 7 copies
Sonatas, Op. 28, Op. 36 (1989) 6 copies
Piano concerto no. 2 (1994) 6 copies
Preludes (CD) (2007) 6 copies
Vocalise 5 copies
Boris Christoff: Melodies Russes [Russian Songs] (1992) — composer — 5 copies
Ave Maria 5 copies
Suite No. 2 Op. 17 (2005) 5 copies
5 Pieces, Op. 3 (1986) 5 copies
Isle of the dead, Op.29 [full score] (2003) — Composer — 4 copies
Destination Rachmaninov: Arrival [sound recording] (2019) — Composer — 4 copies
Rachmaninov : Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 — Composer — 4 copies
Sergei Rachmaninoff: The Complete Recordings (1992) — piano; composer; conductor — 4 copies
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op.43 [full score] (2003) — Composer — 3 copies
The Harvest of Sorrow (2007) 3 copies
Vocalise (1999) 3 copies
Rachmaninov: Piano Trios (2013) 3 copies
The Romantic Cello (2007) 3 copies
A Window in Time, Vol. 2 (1999) 3 copies
Conciertos para piano (2004) 3 copies
Polichinelle Op. 3, No. 4 (1987) 3 copies
Rachmaninov & Debussy Cello Sonatas — Composer — 3 copies
Songs 3 copies
Francesca da Rimini (1999) 2 copies
Complete Piano Concerti (1991) 2 copies
Rachmaninov Romances (2012) 2 copies
Nocturne, Op. 10, No. 1 (1964) 2 copies
Symphonies 1-3 (1996) 2 copies
11 Preludes 2 copies
SONATE OP. 19 VIOLONCELLE (2000) 2 copies
Songs 2 copies
Piano compositions (2005) 2 copies
[No title] 2 copies
Rhapsody (2008) 2 copies
Préludes (2014) 2 copies
Piano Transcriptions (CD) (2002) 2 copies
Rhapsodies 2 copies
Rachmaninov [sound recording] (2011) — Composer — 2 copies
Rachmaninov - nr. 29 (2012) — Composer — 2 copies
Piano Sonatas (1998) 2 copies
Rachmaninoff : Symphonic dances {score : two pianos] (1940) — Composer, Arranger — 2 copies
Symphonische Taenze / (1992) 2 copies
Orchestral Works (1992) 2 copies
Rachmaninov: 3 Symphonies / The Rock (1994) — Composer — 2 copies
Songs vol II 1 copy
Songs Vol. 1 1 copy
Compositores 1 copy, 1 review
Polka 1 copy
Isle of the dead, Op.29 [catch-all] — Composer — 1 copy
Yuja Wang Rachmaninov 1 copy, 1 review
Preludes Ga 1 copy
Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33 & 39 — Composer — 1 copy
Etudes-Tableaux [sound recording] — Composer — 1 copy
24 Preludes [sound recording] — Composer — 1 copy
Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto — Composer — 1 copy
SONATE 2 OPUS 36 PIANO (2004) 1 copy
Piano Music for 4 Hands — Composer — 1 copy
24 Préludes 1 copy, 1 review
Études-Tableaux 1 copy, 1 review
Ultimate Piano Concertos [sound recording] (2008) — Composer — 1 copy
Rachmaninoff 1 copy
Preludes Op.32 / (2006) 1 copy
Preludes Op.23 / (1991) 1 copy
24 Préludes 1 copy
Rachmaninov: Troika (2014) 1 copy
Vocalises 1 copy
Song Transcriptions (2004) 1 copy
[No title] 1 copy
Divine Liturgy of Our Holy Fat (1998) — Author — 1 copy
Suite 2 Op17 2pf4hd (2000) 1 copy
Concert 01 Fis Op.1 (1948) 1 copy
Vocalise 1 copy
Elegiaques 1/2 (2001) 1 copy
Romancing The Piano (1987) 1 copy
Vocalise 1 copy
Ave Maria 1 copy
Best of Rachmaninoff (1998) 1 copy
Selected Songs (1998) 1 copy
Rachmaninov variations (2015) 1 copy
A Steinway Celebration (1990) 1 copy
Complete Songs (2008) 1 copy
O Salutaris Hostia (2014) 1 copy
Mass in Bb 1 copy
Concerto No. 4, Op. 40 (1985) 1 copy
Piano Concerto No. 3 (1972) 1 copy
Aux enfants 1 copy
Preludes, Op. 23 & 32 (2001) 1 copy
Songs (1993) 1 copy
Piano Works 1 copy
Bogoroditse Devo Chant (2000) 1 copy
Greatest Hits (1994) 1 copy
Essential Rachmaninoff (2002) 1 copy
Sonata No. 2 (2005) 1 copy
Complete Songs [sound recording] — Composer — 1 copy
The Miserly Knight (2011) 1 copy
The Miserly Knight (2001) 1 copy
Vespers 1 copy
Hommage a Rachmaninov (1999) 1 copy
ELEGIE OPUS 3/1 PIANO (1980) 1 copy
The Bells / Symphonic Dances [sound recording] (2013) — Composer — 1 copy
[No title] 1 copy
Humoresque 1 copy
Rachmaninov [🌐] (2001) 1 copy
Rachmaninov: Moments Musicaux — Composer — 1 copy
Rachmaninoff 1 copy
Casella : Paganiniana + Rachmaninoff : Symphonic dances {sound recording} (1961) — Composer [Symphonic dances] — 1 copy

Associated Works

Brief Encounter [1945 film] (1945) — Composer — 137 copies, 4 reviews
Horowitz in Moscow [sound recording] (1986) — composer — 44 copies
Romances For Saxophone (1986) — Composer — 17 copies
Voice of the Violin [sound recording] (2006) — Composer — 14 copies
O Magnum Mysterium (2000) — some editions — 10 copies
The Berlin Recital (2018) 7 copies
At Home With Friends [sound recording] (2009) — Composer — 5 copies
Echoes of Time [sound recording] (2011) — Composer — 2 copies
Vocalise: Russian Romances [sound recording] (2006) — Composer — 2 copies
The Composer Pianists [sound recording] (1998) — Composer — 2 copies
Faces of a Woman [sound recording] (2008) — Composer — 1 copy
Labyrinth [sound recording] (2020) — Composer — 1 copy
The Romantic Piano [sound recording] — Composer — 1 copy
The Mighty Boris [sound recording] (2013) — composer — 1 copy
The Warner Recordings [sound recording] (2014) — Composer — 1 copy
A Russian Night [video recording] (2010) — Composer — 1 copy
Violin 101 [sound reording] (2012) — Composer — 1 copy

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Rachmaninoff, Sergei
Legal name
Рахманиновъ, Сергей Васильевич
Rachmaninoff, Sergei Vasilievich
Other names
Rachmaninoff, Serge
Rachmaninoff, Sergej
Rachmaninov
Rakhmaninov
Rahmaninov
Birthdate
1873-04-01
Date of death
1943-03-28
Gender
male
Education
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
Occupations
composer
pianist
conductor
Short biography
Sergei Rachmaninoff is the older style transliteration of his name used by the composer himself.
It is the form used on his grave.
Nationality
Russia
USA (1943)
Birthplace
Oneg, Novgorod, Russia
Place of death
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Burial location
Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York, USA
Map Location
Russia

Members

Reviews

91 reviews
The world hardly needed another recording of the Rachmaninoff Second, not even if the composer himself had arrived on a space-ship from another dimension. Even so, Ozolins's perforamnce is more than serviceable. Still, the real interest of this disc is the Concerto by Healey Willan, who reasonably familiar to older Canadians and to the broad international community of musically-literate Anglicans, for his conservative but lovely devotional music. Willan is the fellow who described himself as show more Irish by extraction, English by birth, Canadian by adoption, and Scotch by absorbtion. Meanwhile, the Concerto sounds roughly the way a piano concerto by Elgar would have sounded had he writen one. show less
½
One of the best recordings of this symphony (see Gramophone Magazine October 2006).

The first performance of this work was a failure, conducted by the drunken Glazunov. The symphony was poorly performed, and the critics condemned it. (Ironically, this was the work that, following Rachmaninoff's death, was acclaimed by many musicologists as his greatest contribution to symphonic literature as well as his most original composition.) During this period, also brooding over an unhappy love affair, show more he was taken to a psychiatrist, Nikolay Dahl, who is often credited with having restored the young composer's self-confidence, thus enabling him to write the Second Piano Concerto (which is dedicated to Dahl).

Some critics today feel the symphony is one of Rachmaninoff's best works; it is full of youthful enthusiasm, soaring melodies, shows the beginning of his obsession with Russian Orthodox chants, the motivic use of bells, and a very Wagneresque orchestration including a heavy brass section, a gong, and a tambourine.
show less
I sang this work a few years ago with the Oakland Symphony Chorus. It is a beautiful piece of music, and I'm glad for the chance to perform it in Russian. We sang it in a Greek Orthodox church, and it was lovely.
INFORMATION-This album contains the following tracks:
1 The Isle of the Dead, symphonic poem, Op. 29, 21:06
Symphonic Dances, for orchestra (or 2 pianos), Op. 45
2 No. 1, Non allegro-Lento-Tempo I in C minor, 11:19
3 No. 2, Andante con moto (Tempo di valse) in G minor, 8:52
4 No. 3, Lento assai-Allegro vivace in D minor, 13:24

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Vladimir Ashkenazy piano, Conductor, Artist, Performer, Conductor & Performer
London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Musician, Orchestre
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Composer, Contributor
Franz Liszt Composer, composer, Contributor
Julius Katchen Performer
Maurice Ravel Composer
Eugene Ormandy Conductor, conductor
Philadelphia Orchestra Orchestra, Performer
André Previn Conductor
Johannes Brahms Composer, Contributor
Mariss Jansons Conductor
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Artists
Mikhail Pletnev Conductor
Edward Downes Conductor
Boris Christoff contributor
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Composer, composer
Fritz Reiner Conductor, conductor
Simon Rattle Conductor
Leonard Slatkin Conductor
Dmitri Shostakovich Composer, composer
Charles Dutoit conductor
André Previn Conductor
Jean Sibelius Composer
Edvard Grieg Composer
Moshe Atzmon Conductor
Gary Graffman Performer
Karl Tausig composer
Enrique Jorda Conductor
Moskovskai︠a︡ gosudarstvennai︠a︡ filarmonii︠a︡ Orchestra [Symphonic Dances], Orchestra
Ravel Composer
Franz Liszt Composer
César Cui composer
Gershwin Composer
Dohnanyi Composer
Andre Clyutens conductor
Frank Bridge Composer
Paul Dukas Composer
Antonín Dvořák Contributor
Nikolay Lugansky Contributor
Donald Johanos Conductor, Conductor [Symphonic dances; Vocalise]
Samuel Barber Composer
Lorin Maazel Conductor
Gustav Holst Composer
Edward Elgar Composer
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus Chorus [Three Russian Songs]
Yevgeny Svetlanov Conductor [Three Russian Songs]
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra Orchestra [Three Russian Songs]
Ivari Ilja Artist
Eiji Oue Conductor
Alexei Lubimov Piano [concerto]
Eero Heinonen Piano [cello sonata]
Pavel Kogan Conductor
Felicija Blumenthal Piano [concerto]
Éric Satie Composer
John Storgårds Conductor
Marietta Petkova Contributor
Nicola Ghiuselev contributor
Tapani Valsta [Vocalise]
Arto Noras Cello [sonata]
Huw Watkins Composer
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Orchestra [cello sonata]
Vienna State Opera Orchestra Orchestra [concerto]
Enrique Bátiz Conductor
Jukka-Pekka Saraste Conductor [piano concerto; cello sonata]
Igor Golovcin Conductor
Josef Suk Composer
Shostakovich Composer
Duane Hampton Arranger
Michael Gielen Conductor [concerto]
Wesley Schaum Arranger
Anton Arensky Composer
John Field Composer
Georges Bizet Composer
Franz Schmidt Composer
Alexis Weissenberg piano, Piano
Gustavo Dudamel Conductor
Vasily Petrenko Conductor
Claudio Abbado Conductor
Sakari Oramo conductor
Bryce Morrison liner notes
Valery Gergiev Conductor, Chef d'orchestre
Wayne Stahnke Engineer
Kurt Sanderling Conductor
Tom Krause Performer
Neeme Järvi Conductor
Tom Service Presenter
Sarah Walker Presenter
Penny Gore Presenter
István Kertész Conductor [Ravel]
Yuri Temirkanov Conductor [Symphonic Dances]
Yit Kin Seow Performer
Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra [Symphonic Dances]
Leah Broad Contributor
Ben Gernon Conductor
Sarah Crompton Contributor
Geoffrey Norris Contributor
Martin Handley Presenter
Rosamund Bartlett Contributor
James Levine conductor
Eliahu Inbal Conductor
David Zinman Conductor
Tadaaki Otaka Conductor
Colin Davis Conductor
Ottorino Respighi Orchetrator [Etudes-Tableaux]
Mikhail Agrest Conductor
Alicia de Larrocha Piano [concerto]
Matthew Sweet Presenter
Kaye Godleman Series producer
Niccolò Paganini Original composer [Paganiniana]
Rochester Pops Orchesta [Zarathustra]
Nicole Schmidt Contributor
Kurt Masur Conductor
Iain Sinclair Contributor
Marina Warner Contributor
Hetta Howes Contributor
Sophie Anderson Contributor
Laura Purcell Contributor
Sacha Dench Contributor
Robert Shaw Conductor
Enrique Batiz Conductor
Antal Doráti Conductor
Charles Webb conductor
Karl Dent Artist
Clive Barda Photographer
Marin Alsop Conductor
Ivan Fischer conductor
Max Harrison liner notes
Matthew Best Conductor
Antoni Wit Conductor
Eugene Ormany Conductor
Igor Buketoff Conductor
Auroro Duo Ensemble
Yehudi Menuhin Conductor [Enigma Variations]
Patrick Thomas Conductor
Günther Herbig Conductor
Arnold Böcklin Cover artist
Chicago Symphony Orchestra performers, Orchestra
Paul Paray Conductor
Alexander Gibson Conductor [Corsaire]
Marvin Schwartz Cover designer
Felix Prohaska Conductor
Edo de Waart Conductor
John Lill Piano
Bernard Haitink Conductor
Andrew Litton Conductor
Michel Plasson Conductor
Ken Veeder Photographer
Lynn Harrell Performer
Earl Wild Performer, Piano
János Kulka Conductor
Thomas Beecham Conductor [Gwendoline]
Idil Biret Artist
Ettore Gracis Conductor
Jiri Pinkas conductor
Filharmonie Brno performers
Nicholas Collon Conductor, Presenter
Dolly Rutherford Translator
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Charles Mackerras Conductor [Don Juan]
Cécile Ousset Performer (piano)
Seiji Ozawa conductor
Jean-Philippe Collard Performer (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Vernon Handley Conductor [The Planets]
Tams Vsry Piano

Statistics

Works
1,168
Also by
34
Members
2,854
Popularity
#8,986
Rating
½ 4.3
Reviews
21
ISBNs
179
Languages
10
Favorited
3

Charts & Graphs