S. V. Rachmaninoff. 1892
Sergey Vasil’yevich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a large golden medal as a piano student of Aleksandr Il’ich Siloti in 1891 and as a composition student of Antony Stepanovich Arensky in 1892. A significant influence on Sergey Rachmaninoff’s development as a composer was exerted by Pyotr Il’ich Tchaikovsky, who was able to recognize the strong original talent already present in the earliest compositions of the young musician.
He wrote many compositions, including the operas “Aleko” (1892), “The Covetous Knight” (1904) and “Francesca da Rimini” (1904); works for soloists, chorus and orchestra – the cantata “Spring” (1902) and the poem “Bells” (1913); works for orchestra – three symphonies (1895; 1906–07; 1935–36), the fantasy “The Cliff” (1893), “Capriccio on Gypsy Themes” (1894), the symphonic poem “The Isle of the Dead” (1909) and “Symphonic Dances” (1940); works for piano and orchestra – four concertos (1890-91, 2nd version 1917; 1901; 1909; 1914–1926, 2nd version 1929, 3rd version 1941) and the “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” (1934); works for chamber ensemble, including the “Elegiac Trio” for piano, violin and cello (1893); works for piano, including 2 sonatas (1906–07; 1913, 2nd version 1931), Variations on a Theme of Chopin (1902), Variations on a Theme of Corelli (1931), Six Moments musicaux (1896), ten Preludes (1902), thirteen Preludes (1910), six Etudes-Tableaux (1911), nine Etudes-Tableaux (1916–1917), as well as works for piano four hands and for two pianos; works for chorus and orchestra, chorus and piano and a cappella chorus; works for voice and piano – songs; transcriptions and arrangements for piano of his own songs and works by other composers.
