The life and work of Rachmaninov

Early life

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor. Born on 1the April 1873 and died on March 28, 1943. His family had special musical and military tendencies. At the age of four, he began piano and music lessons. Later, his sister died of diphtheria, and his father left and moved to Moscow. In his upbringing, his grandmother helped. His grandmother emphasized their religious life. He carried Rachmaninov regularly to Russian Orthodox Church services. It was there that the composer heard for the first time liturgical chants and church bells, two characteristics that he later incorporated into his compositions. Later, (in 1885), his sister, Yelena, died of pernicious anemia. Yelena was a major musical influence for Rachmaninov as she introduced him to Tchaikovsky's works. At that time, Rachmaninov appeared at events at the Moscow Conservatory attended by particularly notable personalities. But the composer was a bad student and failed the spring exams and began lessons with Nikolai Zverev who was quite a strict teacher. ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Music

Rachmaninov is regarded as one of the best pianists of his time. He is famous for having a clean and virtuosic technique. His playing was characterized by precision, rhythmic movement, remarkable use of staccato and the ability to maintain clarity when playing works with complex textures. He had large hands, with giant finger stretches, and could easily maneuver through the most complex chordal configurations. The technique of the left hand was unusually strong. Rachmaninov's textures have always been crystal clear ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Regardless of the music, Rachmaninov always carefully planned his performances. He based his interpretations on the theory that every piece of music has a "climax point". No matter where that point was or in what dynamic within that piece, the performer had to know how to approach it with absolute calculation and accuracy. Otherwise, the entire construction of the piece could collapse and the piece could become disjointed. Surprisingly, Rachmaninov often sounded like he was improvising, although he wasn't. While his interpretations were mosaics of microscopic details, when these mosaics were joined together in the performance, they could, according to the rhythm of the play being played, pass at high speed, giving the impression of momentary thought ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

One advantage Rachmaninov had in this building process over most of his contemporaries was to approach the pieces he played from the perspective of a composer rather than a performer. He believed that "interpretation requires something of the creative instinct. In his works, the piano occupies a prominent place. Rachmaninov used his skills as a performer to explore all the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument. Further, he used widely spaced chords with bell-like sounds. "It is not enough to say that the church bells of Novgorod, St. Petersburg and Moscow influenced Rachmaninov and occupy a prominent place in his music. That goes without saying. What is extraordinary is the variety of bell sounds and the range of structural and other functions they perform." He also liked Russian Orthodox chants. He used them most noticeably in his Vespers, but many of his melodies came from these chants ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

By 1900, Rachmaninov had become so self-critical that, despite numerous attempts, composition had become almost impossible. His aunt then offered professional help, having received successful treatment from a family friend, doctor and amateur musician Nikolai Dahl, to whom Rachmaninov agreed without resistance. Between January and April 1900, Rachmaninov underwent hypnotherapy and supportive therapy sessions with Dahl daily, specially structured to improve his sleep patterns, mood and appetite and rekindle his desire to compose. That summer, Rachmaninov felt that "new musical ideas began to be stirred" and successfully continued composing. Complete the Piano Concerto No 2, which we will hear now ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Variations on a Chopin theme

Amid the success of his professional career, Rachmaninov married Natalia Satina on May 12, 1902 after three years of engagement. Because they were first cousins, marriage was forbidden. To circumvent the church's opposition, the couple used the composer's military background and organized a small ceremony in a chapel in a Moscow suburb barracks.

By February 1903 he had completed the greatest piano composition of his career at the time, Chopin's Variations on a Theme (Op. 22), which we will hear soon after. On May 14, 1903, the couple's first daughter, Irina, was born ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Symphony No. 2 in E minor (1907)

During his second season as conductor, Rachmaninov lost interest in his position. The social and political turmoil surrounding the 1905 Revolution had begun to affect artists and theatre staff, who staged protests and demanded improved wages and conditions. Rachmaninov remained largely indifferent to the politics surrounding him, and the revolutionary spirit had made working conditions increasingly difficult. In February 1906, after performing 50 performances in the first season and 39 in the second, Rachmaninov submitted his resignation ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (1910)

After returning home in February 1910, Rachmaninov became vice-president of the Imperial Russian Music Society (IRMS), whose president was a member of the royal family. Later in 1910, Rachmaninov completed his choral work Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31 which we will hear in a moment, but the execution was forbidden as it did not follow the form of a typical church liturgy ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

The Bells

For two seasons between 1911 and 1913, Rachmaninov was appointed permanent conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. However, he left the post in 1912 when he learned that a musician in an administrative position had been fired for being Jewish ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Pannychis

After the outbreak of the First World War, his position as Music Inspector at the Noble Girls' High School put him on the team of government employees who prevented him from joining the army, however the composer made regular charitable donations for the war effort ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Vocalise (1915)

In April 1915, Alexander Scriabin died. For Rachmaninov this loss was tragic. To raise money for Scriabin's widow he toured piano recitals which he dedicated to his friend's compositions. This was the first public performance of works by the composer that were not his own. By the end of the year, he had finished his 14 romances, whose final segment, Vocalise, which we will hear now, became one of his most popular tracks ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBVkYGLEUpg 

10.1.      Vocalise (1915)

"Vocalise" is a song composed and published in 1915. It is written for high voice (soprano or tenor) with piano accompaniment, contains no words, but is sung using only one vowel of the singer's choice. The work is performed in various organic settings much more often than the original phonetic version ("Vocalise (Rachmaninoff)").

11.  Piano Concerto No. 4

On the day the February 1917 Revolution began in St. Petersburg, Rachmaninov gave a piano recital in Moscow to help wounded Russian soldiers who had fought in the war. After a rift with his family in the more peaceful Crimea, Rachmaninov gave his last concert in Yalta on September 5, 1917. Returning to Moscow, the political tension surrounding the October Revolution found the composer keeping his family safe indoors. In the midst of this turmoil, Rachmaninov received an unexpected offer to give ten piano recitals throughout Scandinavia, which he immediately accepted, using as an excuse to obtain permits so that he and his family could leave the country. In debt and in need of money, the 44-year-old Rachmaninov chose to play as his main source of income, as a career solely in composition was too limiting. His piano repertoire was small, which led to the beginning of his regular practice of technique and learning new pieces to play. Rachmaninov's life as a traveling performer and the demanding schedules that accompanied it caused his compositional output to slow down significantly. In the 24 years since his arrival in the U.S. and his death, he completed just six new pieces, revised some of his earlier works, and wrote piano transcriptions for his live repertoire. He admitted that by leaving Russia, "I left behind my desire to compose: by losing my country, I lost myself." The composer's music was boycotted in Russia as a result of the backlash in the Soviet press, which lasted until 1933 ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

12.  Op. 39 Studies-Tables

By 1930, the composer's compositional style had become tremendously advanced, in part because the melodic material has a harmonic aspect resulting from its color decoration. The composer's changes are evident in various works, such as the songs Op. 38 and Op. 39 from Study Images, which we will hear in a moment. In both of these sets, Rachmaninov emphasized coloring rather than pure melody. His almost impressionistic style fit perfectly with the texts of the symbolist poets ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwinbPL0R3A 

13.  Paganini-themed rhapsody

Some of his most beautiful and at the same time nostalgic and melancholic melodies can be found in Third SymphonyIn Symphonic Dances and in the Paganini-themed rhapsody, which we will hear now ("Sergei Rachmaninoff"). It was written in 1934.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJ5uITLECE 

In early 1942, his doctor advised him to move to a warmer climate to improve his health after suffering from various problems (sclerosis, back pain, neuralgia, high blood pressure and headaches). Rachmaninov chose to continue touring, but felt so ill during his travels that he canceled the rest of his concerts. He returned to California and was taken to hospital by ambulance. There, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma. His wife took Rachmaninov home where he was reunited with his daughter Irina. On February 17, he gave his last recital at the University of Tennessee. Later in 1942, Rachmaninov invited Igor Stravinsky to dinner, with the two sharing their concerns about a war-torn Russia and their children in France  ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

In March 1943, his health deteriorated rapidly. On March 26, he lost consciousness and died two days later, four days before his seventieth birthday. His funeral took place at the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady. In his will, Rachmaninov wished to be buried in the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow, where Scriabin, Taneyev and Chekhov were buried, but his American citizenship made this impossible. Instead, he was buried in Kenshiko Cemetery in Valhalla, New York ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

In August 2015, Russia announced its intention to seek the restoration of Rachmaninov's remains in Russia, claiming that the Americans have neglected the composer's grave while trying to "shamelessly privatize" his name. The composer's descendants resisted this idea, pointing out that he died in the U.S. after spending decades outside Russia in self-imposed political exile ("Sergei Rachmaninoff").

Bibliography

“All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff)." Wikipedia, 27 June 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All-Night_Vigil_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1095360752.

"Études-Tableaux, Op. 39." Wikipedia, 7 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C3%89tudes-Tableaux,_Op._39&oldid=1109046842.

"Fancy Pieces." Wikipedia, Sept. 18, 2022. Wikipedia, https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morceaux_de_fantaisie&oldid=197059508.

“Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rachmaninoff).” Wikipedia, 7 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Piano_Concerto_No._1_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1109045927#Overview.

“Piano Concerto No. 4 (Rachmaninoff).” Wikipedia, 7 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Piano_Concerto_No._4_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1109045985.

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 I. Moderato (Rubinstein). Directed by ClassicalScores, 2010. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_VCbnqbwwA.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 - I. Vivace. Directed by Κρίστιαν Ζίμερμαν - Θέμα, 2018. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNV0wouFhU.

Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil, Mvt.  5. Directed by Princeton University Glee Club, 2018. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3q1gqYop6g.

“Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Wikipedia, 5 June 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhapsody_on_a_Theme_of_Paganini&oldid=1091677990.

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“Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninoff).” Wikipedia, 4 Aug. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Symphonic_Dances_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1102310485.

“The Bells (Symphony).” Wikipedia, 7 Sept. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bells_(symphony)&oldid=1109046317.

“Variations on a Theme of Chopin (Rachmaninoff).” Wikipedia, 9 Aug. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Variations_on_a_Theme_of_Chopin_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1103388115.

“Vocalise (Rachmaninoff).” Wikipedia, 2 July 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vocalise_(Rachmaninoff)&oldid=1096160485.