Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Born: April 1, 1873
Died: March 28, 1943
in Semеnovo, Novgorodskaya guberniya, Rossiyskaya imperiya (Russia)
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor of the late Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular in the Romantic repertoire.

Born into a musical family, Rachmaninoff took up the piano at age four. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1892, having already composed several piano and orchestral pieces. In 1897, following the negative critical reaction to his Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninoff entered a four-year depression and composed little until successful therapy allowed him to complete his enthusiastically received Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1901. For the next sixteen years, Rachmaninoff conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre, relocated to Dresden, Germany, and toured the United States for the first time.

Following the Russian Revolution, Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia; in 1918, they settled in the United States, first in New York City. With his main source of income coming from piano and conducting performances, demanding tour schedules led to a reduction in his time for composition; between 1918 and 1943, he completed just six works, including Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 3, and Symphonic Dances. By 1942, his failing health led to his relocation to Beverly Hills, California. One month before his death from advanced melanoma, Rachmaninoff was granted American citizenship.

In Rachmaninoff's work, early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, and other Russian composers gave way to a personal style notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness and rich orchestral colors.[3] Rachmaninoff often featured the piano in his compositions, and he explored the expressive possibilities of the instrument through his own skills as a pianist.

Movies for Sergei Rachmaninoff...

Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos 1-3, Symphonic Dances
Title: Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos 1-3, Symphonic Dances
Character: Composer
Released: April 20, 2018
Type: Movie
This box set brings together Valery Gergiev’s acclaimed cycle of the complete Rachmaninoff symphonies, which were recorded with the Orchestra across 2008 to 2015. These masterful accounts of the composer’s complete symphonies are accompanied by his 1940 composition Symphonic Dances, while two symphonic poems by Mily Balakirev echo the luxurious textures present throughout Rachmaninoff’s music. Release date: 20 April 2018 LSO0816 | 822231181620 3 SACD Hybrid + 1 Pure Audio Blu-ray | Digibox Booklet notes in English, French and German 2.0 stereo | multi-channel 5.1 Total playing time: 3h 35m Producer: James Mallinson Engineering: Classic Sound Ltd Recorded live at the Barbican Hall, London September 2008 - February 2015
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Coisa Mais Linda - Histórias e Casos da Bossa Nova
Title: Coisa Mais Linda - Histórias e Casos da Bossa Nova
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 2005
Type: Movie
Documentary about the birth of bossa-nova, in Brazil, and the major stars of this musical style.
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Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow
Title: Rachmaninoff: The Harvest of Sorrow
Character: Archive Footage
Released: January 1, 1998
Type: Movie
Tony Palmer tells the life story of Sergei Rachmaninoff through the use of home movies, concert footage, and interviews. John Gielgud reads from Rachmaninoff's diaries in a voiceover.
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Great Russian Composers
Title: Great Russian Composers
Released: January 11, 1993
Type: Movie
These biographical drama documentaries explore the lives and careers of Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Chaliapin.
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The Golden Twenties
Title: The Golden Twenties
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: April 8, 1950
Type: Movie
Feature-length compilation of 1920s newsreel footage, with commentary about news, sports, lifestyles, and historical figures.