Photo of Sergey Rachmaninoff
Sound

Sergey Rachmaninoff

Profession
Sound
Born
April 1, 1873 · Semеnovo, Novgorodskaya guberniya, Rossiyskaya imperiya (Russia)
Died
March 28, 1943

Biography

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.

Known for

The Piano Forest poster
The Piano Forest
Series · 2018 · ★ 6.6
The Elder Son poster
The Elder Son
Film · 1975 · ★ 6.5
Stupid Boy poster
Stupid Boy
Film · 2004 · ★ 5.7
A Russian Youth poster
A Russian Youth
Film · 2019 · ★ 5.2
White Nights poster
White Nights
Film · 1960 · ★ 7.7
Romance poster
Romance
Film · 2011
Stories About Lenin poster
Stories About Lenin
Film · 1957
Moscow Skies poster
Moscow Skies
Film · 1944
Coisa Mais Linda - Histórias e Casos da Bossa Nova poster
Coisa Mais Linda - Histórias e Casos da Bossa Nova
Film · 2005
Aleko poster
Aleko
Film · 1953
Apostrophes poster
Apostrophes
Series · 1975
Monna Lisa poster
Monna Lisa
Film · 2000

Filmography