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Russian composer, pianist, conductor

short biography

Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov(April 1, 1873, Semyonovo, Novgorod province - March 28, 1943, Beverly Hills, USA) - Russian composer, pianist, conductor. He synthesized in his work the principles of the St. Petersburg and Moscow schools of composition (as well as the traditions of Western European music) and created his own original style.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born into a noble family. For a long time, the place of birth was considered to be the estate of his parents Oneg, not far from Novgorod, but research in recent years names the estate of Semyonovo, Starorussky district, Novgorod province.

The composer's father, Vasily Arkadyevich (1841–1916), came from the nobility of the Tambov province. Family legend traces the origin of the Rachmaninov family to the “grandson of the Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great” Vasily, nicknamed Rachmanin. Mother, Lyubov Petrovna (nee Butakova) is the daughter of the director of the Arakcheevsky Cadet Corps, General P.I. Butakov. The composer's paternal grandfather, Arkady Alexandrovich, was a musician, studied piano with John Field and gave concerts in Tambov, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Romances and piano pieces of his composition have been preserved, including “Farewell Gallop for 1869” for piano four hands. Rachmaninov's father was also a musically gifted person, but he played music only amateurishly.

S. V. Rachmaninov’s interest in music was discovered in early childhood. His first piano lessons were given to him by his mother, then music teacher A.D. Ornatskaya was invited. With her support, in the fall of 1882, Rachmaninov entered the junior department of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the class of V.V. Demyansky. Education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory went poorly, since Rachmaninov often skipped classes, so at the family council it was decided to transport the boy to Moscow and settle in private boarding house of the famous music teacher, professor of the Moscow Conservatory N. S. Zverev. So in the fall of 1885, Rachmaninov moved to Moscow, to a boarding school, and at the same time was accepted into the third year of the junior department of the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Professor Zverev. Strict discipline reigned at Zverev's boarding school: students had to study for six hours a day. Attendance at opera performances and ensemble music playing, including on several pianos, was mandatory. Rachmaninov spent four years in the Zverev boarding house (where pianists A. I. Ziloti, K. N. Igumnov, F. F. Keneman, L. A. Maksimov, M. L. Presman, A. N. Koreshchenko also lived at different times ). Here, at the age of 13, Rachmaninov was introduced to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. However, four years later, a quarrel occurred between Rachmaninov and Zverev; Rachmaninov left the boarding school, but remained in Moscow, where he was sheltered by his relatives, the Satins, whose daughter, also a pianist, he later married.

In 1888, Rachmaninov continued his studies at the senior department of the Moscow Conservatory in the piano class of his cousin A.I. Ziloti, and a year later, under the guidance of S.I. Taneyev and A.S. Arensky, he began to study composition.

At the age of 19, Rachmaninov graduated from the conservatory as a pianist and composer with a large gold medal. Already at the conservatory he gained fame among the Moscow public. While studying at the conservatory, he had already written the First Piano Concerto, a number of romances and pieces for piano, including the Prelude in C sharp minor (op.3 No. 2), which later became one of Rachmaninov’s most famous works. Thesis work became Rachmaninov's first opera - “Aleko”, written based on A. S. Pushkin’s work “Gypsies”. P. I. Tchaikovsky really liked the opera, at his insistence the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater itself, and he even tried to include it in the Bolshoi Theater repertoire along with his opera “Iolanta,” but soon Tchaikovsky unexpectedly fell ill and died, and his plan was not implemented.

At the age of 20, in order to earn money, Rachmaninov became a teacher at the Moscow Mariinsky, and then at the Elizabeth and Catherine Women's Institutes. Rachmaninov also began giving private lessons, which, however, he really did not like. At the age of 24, Rachmaninov, at the invitation of Savva Mamontov, became the second conductor of the Moscow Russian Private Opera, where he worked for only one season, but managed to make a noticeable creative contribution and became famous as a conductor. Rachmaninov and Fyodor Chaliapin became friends there. Rachmaninov decided to leave the theater to concentrate on composition.

Rachmaninov early, while still studying at the Moscow Conservatory, gained fame as a composer, pianist and conductor. He was adored by the Moscow public. However, his successful career was interrupted on March 15, 1897 by the unsuccessful premiere of the First Symphony in St. Petersburg. Composer A.K. Glazunov then got the idea to introduce the capital to the music of the young Moscow talent, but the premiere ended in complete failure, both due to poor quality performance by the conductor (Glazunov was inexperienced), and - mainly - because of the innovative nature of the music, not understood neither by Glazunov himself nor by the St. Petersburg public... The reviews were devastating. Cesar Cui, for example, wrote in his review that “if there were a conservatory in hell, Rachmaninov would undoubtedly be its first student.” Rachmaninov was especially upset negative feedback N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, whom he met at the Moscow Russian Private Opera and whose opinion he greatly valued. The failure was the reason deep depression Rachmaninov. “I was like a man who had a stroke and lost both his head and his arms for a long time...” - this is how Rachmaninov described his condition. For more than three years in 1897-1901, Rachmaninov composed almost nothing, most spent time lying in his room on the couch, leaving home only for private lessons. Only with the help of the famous hypnotist Dr. N.V. Dahl was he able to overcome his creative crisis.

In 1901 he completed his Second Piano Concerto, the creation of which marked Rachmaninoff’s emergence from the crisis and at the same time the entry into the next, mature period of creativity. Soon he accepted an invitation to take the place of conductor at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, where for two seasons he conducted the entire Russian operatic repertoire (the foreign repertoire was conducted under the direction of the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater, I.K. Altani). After this, having decided to once again devote himself entirely to composition, Rachmaninov left the Bolshoi Theater and, having traveled around Italy in 1906, settled in Dresden for three years, where he composed fruitfully. In 1909, Rachmaninov made a large concert tour of America and Canada, performing as a pianist and conductor. Also in 1909, the Third Piano Concerto was written.

In 1911, Rachmaninov, while in Kyiv, at the request of his friend and colleague A.V. Ossovsky, listened to the young singer Ksenia Derzhinskaya, fully appreciating her talent; then he played a big role in the development of the opera career of this famous singer.

Before the revolution, Rachmaninov composed a lot and often performed in Moscow. Concerts organized by A. I. Ziloti, at which Rachmaninov often conducted, were very popular. He was also involved a lot in the affairs of the Russian music publishing house, whose artistic council he headed.

On February 21, 1917, the last concert performance of S. V. Rachmaninov in Petrograd took place in the concert hall of the Tenishevsky School.

Soon after the 1917 revolution in Russia, Rachmaninov took advantage of an unexpected offer from Sweden to perform at a concert in Stockholm and at the end of 1917, together with his wife Natalya Alexandrovna (née Satina; from the Rurik family, who lost their princely title; she was the composer’s cousin on his father’s side) and daughters Irina and Tatyana left Russia, practically without funds, leaving all their property.

Rachmaninov in life

According to the memoirs of Rachmaninov’s friend A.F. Gedike, who knew the composer from the time he studied at the Moscow Conservatory until his emigration, Rachmaninov was a truthful and modest person, he never lied and never boasted of anything. He was also very neat and precise, maintained perfect order in his office, was never late, and appreciated these qualities in others. He liked to plan his work schedule in advance for a long time and suffered greatly if he had to break his plans. Any creative hitch very quickly led Rachmaninov to a loss of self-confidence; intrusive thought that he would never be able to compose anything worthy in his life, and because of this he quickly fell into depression. In general, Rachmaninov was prone to a pessimistic, gloomy mood, and he had it much more often than a cheerful one. Rachmaninov was never seriously ill in his youth, but he was extremely suspicious and often believed that some other person was falling ill. serious illness. If the doctors managed to convince him, he became cheerful and joyful, but only until the next attack of suspiciousness. In moments of good spirits, Rachmaninov was cheerful and cheerful, but still always restrained and was never fussy. He was distinguished by subtle humor and great powers of observation.

Rachmaninov began to compose mainly in the morning, if the work went well, he often stayed up until the evening, but he did not like to work at night. If the work did not go well, Rachmaninov’s mood deteriorated sharply, he could postpone or even abandon the work. Rachmaninov studied the piano irregularly and very little, mainly because everything came to him surprisingly easily on the instrument. If I played for 1 hour a day, then I spent 40 minutes doing exercises and only 20 minutes playing pieces. At home, unlike at concerts, he liked to play quietly, listening to every sound, as if “probing” what was being performed. Many times Rachmaninov's friends were amazed by his incredible musical memory: having heard a large symphonic work only once or twice, he memorized it almost by heart and remembered it for a very long time.

Rachmaninov rarely had guests; he mostly communicated with his wife’s numerous relatives; the family lived very amicably. Among his comrades (infrequently) were: M. A. Slonov, N. S. Morozov, N. G. Struve, A. A. Brandukov, N. K. Medtner, Yu. E. Konyus, A. B. Goldenweiser , A.F. Gedicke. Only occasionally did Rachmaninov go to symphony concerts and even less often to the theater. He spent the summer in the Tambov province on the Satins' estate - Ivanovka, which he loved very much and then bought from his father-in-law. He worked a lot on the estate, sparing no effort and money, loved to delve into economic issues and organize the farm, acquired the latest equipment for agricultural work.

Rachmaninov's organizational talent was even more clearly demonstrated when, at the request of his friend, S. A. Koussevitzky, he headed the artistic council of the Russian Music Publishing House, which he gradually led to worldwide fame, despite enormous competition both in Russia and abroad.

Rachmaninov was very fond of church singing; often, even in winter, he got up at seven o’clock in the morning and, hiring a cab, went to church services, most often to the Androniev Monastery on Taganka. Rachmaninov also loved gypsy singing, sometimes staying until nightfall in the Yar or Strelna restaurants. This caused rumors to spread throughout Moscow that Rachmaninov was a reveler, but this was not true. From closed image During Rachmaninov's life, there was also a rumor that he drank a lot, but, according to family and friends, this was also untrue.

Rachmaninov spoke in a deep, low bass voice, quietly and leisurely. He loved to drive fast. Being a nearsighted person, he drove a car without glasses, which sometimes horrified passengers.

In difficult years civil war Rachmaninov helped his friends and acquaintances a lot. For some, his food parcels simply saved them from hunger.

In exile

In mid-January 1918, having left Russia, Rachmaninov went through Malmö to Copenhagen. On 15 February he made his first appearance in Copenhagen, where he played his Second Concerto with conductor Georg Höeberg. Realizing that he would not be able to take up composition now, and that he could only earn money as a pianist, he began to train intensively on the piano. By the end of the season, Rachmaninov performed in eleven symphony and chamber concerts, which gave him the opportunity to pay off his debts.

Having regained his fame in Europe, on November 1, 1918, Rachmaninoff and his family sailed from Norway to New York, where he was greeted with great interest. Having begun a vigorous concert activity in the USA as a pianist, Rachmaninov did not stop it until his death, giving many dozens of concerts per season. Rachmaninov's popularity as a pianist was enormous. Almost from his very arrival until his last days, crowds of reporters followed him, the paparazzi resorted to unimaginable tricks to take pictures of Rachmaninov, although he did not like attention to himself, and the reporters annoyed him a lot, sometimes driving him crazy. To hide from unnecessary attention while touring America, Rachmaninov at one time even lived in a personal railway carriage instead of hotels.

Until 1926, Rachmaninov did not write significant works. The creative crisis thus lasted for about 10 years. Many acquaintances associate this with the deep homesickness that he felt. Rachmaninov, despite his fame and various numerous invitations, communicated mainly among Russian emigrants, surrounded himself with Russian friends and Russian servants, objects that reminded him of his homeland. According to the recollections of his relatives, only when communicating with Russians was he cheerful and contented. During all the years in exile, Rachmaninov had almost no foreign friends; one of the few exceptions was Frederick Steinway, the head of the Steinway and Sons company, a manufacturer of pianos.

Only in 1926-1927 new works appeared: the Fourth Concerto and three Russian songs. During his life abroad (1918-1943), Rachmaninov created only 6 works, which, however, belong to the pinnacle of Russian and world music.

Living and performing mainly in the USA, from 1930 to 1940 Rachmaninov spent a lot of time in Switzerland, where he built a luxurious villa “Senar” with a large garden and overlooking Lake Firwaldstätt and Mount Pilatus.. During this time, Rachmaninov often toured Europe . Performed concerts at the Lucerne festival. He was soon recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his era and a major conductor, although he did not conduct often.

In 1941 he completed his last work, recognized by many as his greatest creation, Symphonic Dances. This work was the most beloved for Rachmaninov himself.

Although Rachmaninov hated Soviet power and yearned for the lost old Russia, the news of the German attack on the USSR made a huge impression on him. During the Great Patriotic War, gripped by almost panic for the fate of his homeland, he gave several concerts in the USA, all the money collected from which he sent to the Red Army Fund and advised all Russian emigrants to also contribute. He donated the money collected from one of his concerts to the USSR Defense Fund with the words: “From one of the Russians all possible help to the Russian people in their fight against the enemy. I want to believe, I believe in complete victory.” It is known that a combat aircraft was built for the needs of the army with the composer’s money. According to some reports, Rachmaninov even went to the Soviet embassy and wanted to go home shortly before his death.

Sergei Vasilyevich smoked a lot, almost never letting a cigarette out of his mouth. His grandson Alexander Rachmaninov, founder of the S. V. Rachmaninoff Foundation, who overtook him in his declining years in the United States, associates it with this habit. Rachmaninov himself was unaware of his illness. Rachmaninov gave his last concert just six weeks before his death.

Rachmaninov died on March 28, 1943 in Beverly Hills, California, USA, before three days before his 70th birthday. Buried in Kensico Cemetery. In his will, Sergei Rachmaninov ordered that he be buried in New York next to his wife and daughter. The composer's great-great-granddaughter, Suzan-Sofia Volkonskaya-Wanamaker, reminded a Radio Liberty correspondent about this.

Creative characteristic

The creative image of Rachmaninoff the composer is often defined by the words “the most Russian composer.” This brief and incomplete description expresses both the objective qualities of Rachmaninov’s style and the place of his heritage in the historical perspective of world music. It was Rachmaninov’s work that acted as the synthesizing denominator that united and fused the creative principles of the Moscow (P. Tchaikovsky) and St. Petersburg schools of composition into a single and integral Russian style. The theme “Russia and its destiny,” which is general for Russian art of all types and genres, found an exceptionally characteristic and complete embodiment in Rachmaninov’s work. In this regard, Rachmaninov was both a successor to the tradition of the operas of Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, and a connecting link in the continuous chain of national tradition (this theme was continued in the works of S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, G. Sviridov, A. Schnittke and etc.). The special role of Rachmaninov in the development of the national tradition is explained historical situation creativity of Rachmaninov - a contemporary of the Russian revolution: it was the revolution, reflected in Russian art as a “catastrophe”, “end of the world”, that was always the semantic dominant of the theme “Russia and its fate”.

Portrait by K. A. Somov

Rachmaninov's work chronologically belongs to that period of Russian art, which is usually called the “Silver Age”. The main creative method of art of this period was symbolism, the features of which were clearly manifested in the work of Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov's works are full of complex symbolism, expressed through symbolic motifs, the main one of which is the motif of the medieval chorale Dies Irae. This motif symbolizes Rachmaninov’s premonition of a catastrophe, “the end of the world,” “retribution.”

Christian motifs are very important in Rachmaninov’s work: being a deeply religious man, Rachmaninov not only made an outstanding contribution to the development of Russian sacred music (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, 1910, Vespers, 1916), but also embodied Christian ideas and symbolism in his other works.

In the technique of musical composition, Rachmaninov did not react in any way to the “fashionable” innovations of the 20th century. (such as dodecaphony, ultrachromatism, aleatorics, polystylistics, etc.). At the same time, within the framework of a style that is generally defined as “neo-romantic,” Rachmaninov managed to develop a specific, easily recognizable musical language. The extended tonality of Rachmaninov, for example, is characterized by the so-called Rachmaninov subdominant (otherwise “Rachmaninov harmony”) and modalisms (Dorian mode, gypsy scale, etc.), and in rhythm - multioli in combination with regular groupings of durations (polyrhythm). Its specific piano texture is also recognizable.

Evolution of creative style

Rachmaninov’s work is conventionally divided into three or four periods: early (1889-1897), mature(it is sometimes divided into two periods: 1900-1909 and 1910-1917) and late (1918-1941).

Rachmaninov's style, which grew out of late romanticism, subsequently underwent significant evolution. Like his contemporaries A. Scriabin and I. Stravinsky, Rachmaninov at least Twice (c. 1900 and c. 1926) he radically updated the style of his music. Rachmaninov’s mature and especially late style goes far beyond the boundaries of the post-Romantic tradition (“overcoming” of which began back in early period) and at the same time does not belong to any of the stylistic trends of the musical avant-garde of the 20th century. Rachmaninov’s work, thus, stands apart in the evolution of world music of the 20th century: having absorbed many of the achievements of impressionism and the avant-garde, Rachmaninov’s style remained uniquely individual and original, having no analogues in world art (excluding imitators and epigones). In modern musicology, a parallel with L. van Beethoven is often used: just like Rachmaninov, Beethoven went far beyond the boundaries of the style that raised him in his work (in in this case- Viennese classicism), without joining the romantics and remaining alien to the romantic worldview.

First early period- began under the sign of late romanticism, adopted mainly through the style of Tchaikovsky (First Concerto, early plays). However, already in the Trio in D minor (1893), written in the year of Tchaikovsky’s death and dedicated to his memory, Rachmaninov gives an example of a bold creative synthesis of the traditions of romanticism (Tchaikovsky), “kuchkists,” ancient Russian church tradition and modern everyday and gypsy music. This work, one of the first examples of polystylistics in world music, seems to symbolically announce the continuity of tradition from Tchaikovsky to Rachmaninov and the entry of Russian music into a new stage of development. In the First Symphony, the principles of stylistic synthesis were developed even more boldly, which was one of the reasons for its failure at the premiere.

Maturity period marked by the formation of an individual, mature style based on the intonational baggage of Znamenny chant, Russian songwriting and the style of late European romanticism. These features are clearly expressed in the famous Second Concerto and Second Symphony, in the piano preludes op. 23. However, starting with the symphonic poem “Island of the Dead,” Rachmaninov’s style becomes more complex, which is caused, on the one hand, by an appeal to the themes of symbolism and modernity, and on the other, by the implementation of the achievements of modern music: impressionism, neoclassicism, new orchestral, textured, harmonic techniques. The central work of this period is the grandiose poem “The Bells” for choir, soloists and orchestra, to the words of Edgar Allan Poe translated by K. Balmont (1913). Vividly innovative, full of unprecedentedly new choral and orchestral techniques, this work had a huge influence on choral and symphonic music of the 20th century. The theme of this work is typical for the art of symbolism, for this stage of Russian art and the work of Rachmaninov: it symbolically embodies different periods human life leading to inevitable death; the apocalyptic symbolism of the Bells, carrying the idea of the End of the World, presumably influenced the “musical” pages of T. Mann’s novel “Doctor Faustus”.

Late - foreign period of creativity- marked by exceptional originality. Rachmaninov's style is made up of a seamless fusion of the most diverse, sometimes opposing stylistic elements: the traditions of Russian music - and jazz, ancient Russian Znamenny chant - and the "restaurant" stage of the 1930s, the virtuosic style of the 19th century - and the harsh toccataism of the avant-garde. The very heterogeneity of stylistic premises contains a philosophical meaning - the absurdity, cruelty of being in modern world, loss of spiritual values. The works of this period are distinguished by mysterious symbolism, semantic polyphony, and deep philosophical overtones.

Last piece Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances (1941), which vividly embodies all these features, is compared by many with M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita,” completed at the same time.

The significance of Rachmaninov's compositional creativity huge: Rachmaninov synthesized various trends Russian art, various thematic and stylistic directions, and united them under one denominator - the Russian national style.

Rachmaninov enriched Russian music with the achievements of art of the 20th century and was one of those who brought the national tradition to a new stage. Rachmaninov enriched the intonation fund of Russian and world music with the intonation baggage of the Old Russian Znamenny chant.

Rachmaninov (along with Scriabin) brought Russian piano music of the 20th century to the world level and became one of the first Russian composers whose piano works are included in the repertoire of all pianists in the world.

The significance of Rachmaninov's performing creativity no less great: Rachmaninov the pianist became the standard for many generations of pianists from different countries and schools, he established the global priority of the Russian piano school, distinctive features which are: 1) deep content of performance; 2) attention to the intonation richness of music; 3) “singing on the piano” - imitation of vocal sound and vocal intonation using the piano.

Rachmaninov the pianist left master recordings of many works of world music, on which many generations of musicians study.

Family

On April 29, 1902 in Moscow, in the church of the 6th Tauride Grenadier Regiment (officiated by priest Anatoly Zamaraev), “hereditary nobleman Sergei Vasiliev Rachmaninov” was married to “the daughter of a state councilor, the maiden Natalya Alexandrova Satina,” his cousin.

The Rachmaninov couple had two daughters, Tatyana and Irina. Irina had an only daughter, Sofia, who lived in Costa Rica. Daughter Tatyana married lawyer B. Yu. Konyus, her son Alexander took the name Rachmaninov. Being a lawyer in the field of copyright law by profession, he headed the S. V. Rachmaninov Foundation. Alexander is survived by two daughters - Marina and Emmanuel.

Memory

Coin of the Bank of the Russian Federation

Postage stamp of Moldova, 1997

Monument to Sergei Rachmaninov in Veliky Novgorod

Monument to Rachmaninov in Tambov on the street. Rachmaninov.

Rachmaninoff's grave at Kensico Cemetery near New York

International Prize named after Sergei Rachmaninov

Since 1982, the Rachmaninov Society has been operating in the USSR and then in Russia, thanks to whose efforts a monument to Rachmaninov was erected in Moscow on Strastnoy Boulevard (1999), monuments in Tambov and Veliky Novgorod, and an International Piano Competition is held.
In 1999, on the site of the former Semyonovo estate (12 km south of the village of Pinaevy Gorki, Zaluchskoye rural settlement, Novgorod region) a memorial sign was erected about the birth of Rachmaninov here.

In 1968, a museum was created, and since 1987, the Museum-Estate of S.V. Rachmaninov in the village of Ivanovka, Uvarovsky district, Tambov region.
In 2011, in Kazan, on the initiative of the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexander Sladkovsky, the International music Festival them. S. Rachmaninov “White Lilac”. The festival is held annually in May.
Rostovskaya bears the name of Rachmaninov State Conservatory, Tambov State Musical Pedagogical Institute, Kaliningrad Regional Music College, Chisinau Russian Musical Lyceum (former Secondary Special Music School named after E. Koki), Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, music school in Moscow (structural division of MGODSHI (Moscow City United Children's School of the Arts) "Izmailovo") and Novgorod Regional College of Arts.
There are streets named after Rachmaninov in Sochi, Kyiv, Almaty, Tambov, Penza, Novgorod the Great, Rostov-on-Don, Morshansk, Krasnodar and in the Bronx district of New York.
On June 14, 2009, a monument to Sergei Rachmaninov by the sculptor Rukavishnikov was unveiled in Veliky Novgorod.
On the facade of house No. 5 on Strastnoy Boulevard in Moscow, where S. Rachmaninov lived and worked, there is a memorial plaque by the sculptor N. I. Niss-Goldman.
In Moscow, in a mansion on Bolshaya Ordynka, 6/12, it is planned to open a museum of the composer; The Moscow government leased this building to the Rachmaninoff Society until 2018.
In 2013, in Moscow, on the initiative of the Russian pianist, laureate of international competitions, professor of the APS Academy Violetta Egorova, the International Sergei Rachmaninov Prize was established. The official award ceremony for the Prize is held annually at the Moscow Conservatory.
On March 18, 2010, the Rachmaninov crater on Mercury was named in honor of Rachmaninoff.
On October 5, 2017, the grand opening of the monument to Sergei Rachmaninov took place at the Ivanovka museum-estate (Tambov region).

Estate "Senar"

After the death of Alexander Rachmaninov (1933-2012), the composer’s grandson and only heir, in early November 2012, the relatives planned to put up the Senar estate in Switzerland for auction, followed by the subsequent sale of parts of property and unique items of cultural heritage of S. V. Rachmaninov. In these circumstances, Russian pianist Denis Matsuev raised with Russian President Vladimir Putin the issue of buying out the estate in favor of Russia for the construction of a memorial to the composer, holding musical master classes, festivals and competitions there. The price of the issue, according to expert estimates, is approximately 630-650 million rubles. President Putin agreed to make efforts to implement this idea.

Rachmaninov Societies

International Rachmaninov Society in Darmstadt, Germany
St. Petersburg Rachmaninov Society
Rachmaninoff Society in Moscow
London International Rachmaninov Society
International Rachmaninov Society Miami, San Jose

Works

Prelude op. 23 No. 5

In parentheses is the date of completion of the work.

op. 1 - Piano Concerto No. 1 (1890)
op. 2 - Two pieces for cello and piano (1890)
op. 3 - Fantasia Pieces for piano (1892)
op. 4 - Romances (1892)
op. 5 - Suite No. 1 for two pianos (1893)
op. 6 - Two pieces for violin and piano (1893)
op. 7 - Symphonic fantasy “Cliff” (1893)
op. 8 - Romances (1894)
op. 9 - Elegiac Trio No. 2 for violin, cello and piano (1893)
op. 10 - Salon pieces for piano (1894)
op. 11 - Six pieces for piano four hands
op. 12 - Gypsy Capriccio (1895)
op. 13 - Symphony No. 1 (1895)
op. 14 - Romances (1897)
op. 15 - Six choirs for women's or children's voices (1897)
op. 16 - Musical Moments for piano (1897)
op. 17 - Suite No. 2 for two pianos (1900)
op. 18 - Piano Concerto No. 2 (1900)
op. 19 - Sonata for cello and piano in G minor (1901)
op. 20 - Cantata “Spring” (1901)
op. 21 - Romances (1902)
op. 22 - Variations on a theme by Chopin (1902)
op. 23 - Preludes for piano (1903)
op. 24 - Opera “The Miserly Knight” (1903)
op. 25 - Opera “Francesca da Rimini” (1904)
op. 26 - Romances (1907)
op. 27 - Symphony No. 2 (1907)
op. 28 - Sonata No. 1 for piano (1907)
op. 29 - Symphonic poem “Island of the Dead” (1908)
op. 30 - Piano Concerto No. 3 (1909)
op. 31 - Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (1911)
op. 32 - Preludes for piano (1910)
op. 33 - Etudes-pictures for piano (1911)
op. 34 - Romances (1911)
op. 35 - Poem “Bells” for choir, soloists and orchestra (1913)
op. 36 - Sonata No. 2 for piano (1913)
op. 37 - All-night vigil (1915)
op. 38 - Six poems for voice and piano (1916)
op. 39 - Sketches-paintings (1917)
op. 40 - Piano Concerto No. 4 (1927)
op. 41 - Three Russian songs for choir and orchestra (1928)
op. 42 - Variations on a Theme of Corelli for piano (1929)
op. 43 - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra (1935)
op. 44 - Symphony No. 3 (1937)
op. 45 - Symphonic Dances (1941)

Works without an opus.

Composer, pianist, conductor Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born on April 1 (March 20, old style) 1873 into a noble family on the Oneg estate in the Novgorod province (according to other sources, in the Semenovo estate in the Novgorod province, now the Novgorod region). Grew up in a musical family. His grandfather, Arkady Rachmaninov, a pianist, is known as the author of salon romances.

From a young age, Sergei Rachmaninov began to systematically study music. In 1882 he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Among the works written during his studies are Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra (first edition, 1891), a youth symphony (1891), and a symphonic poem “Prince Rostislav” (1991).

In 1891, Rachmaninov graduated from the conservatory with a Grand Gold Medal as a pianist, and in 1892 - as a composer. Rachmaninov's diploma work was the one-act opera "Aleko" (1892) based on Alexander Pushkin's poem "The Gypsies". In 1893 it was staged at the Bolshoi Theater. Since the winter of 1892, Rachmaninov's public performances as a pianist began.

Among his works of the 1890s, the symphonic fantasy “The Cliff” (1893), “Musical Moments” for piano (1896) and a number of romances stand out. Impressed by the death of Tchaikovsky in 1893, the Elegiac Trio “In Memory of the Great Artist” was created.

In 1895, Rachmaninov composed the First Symphony, the premiere of which in 1897 turned out to be a major failure. A strong shock led Rachmaninov to a creative crisis. For several years he withdrew from composing music, concentrating on performing activities.

In 1897-1898, Rachmaninov conducted performances of the Moscow Private Russian Opera of Savva Mamontov, and then his international performing career began. Rachmaninov's first foreign performance took place in London in 1899. In 1900 he visited Italy.

In 1898-1900 he repeatedly performed in an ensemble with Fyodor Chaliapin.

By the early 1900s, Rachmaninov managed to overcome his creative crisis. The next decade and a half became the most fruitful in his biography. The first major works of this period are the Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1901) and the Sonata for Cello and Piano (1901). The cantata “Spring” (1902) based on Nekrasov’s poetry is imbued with a joyful, spring attitude.

In 1904-1906, Rachmaninov worked as a conductor at the Bolshoi Theater, where his “specialty” was operas by Russian composers of the 19th century. At the same time, he wrote two one-act operas - “Francesca da Rimini” (1904) with a libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky based on Dante Alighieri and “The Miserly Knight” (1904) based on Pushkin. Both operas were released in 1906 at the Bolshoi Theater under the direction of the author. The third opera of this period, Monna Vanna, based on the play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck, remained unfinished.

Major instrumental opuses of the 1900s are Symphony No. 2 (1907) and Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra (1909). The symphonic poem “Island of the Dead” (1909), inspired by the painting of the same name by the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin, popular at the turn of the century, stands out with its gloomy coloring.

Since 1906, Rachmaninov spent three winters in Dresden, returning home in the summer. He performed quite often in Europe at that time as a pianist and conductor. In 1907 he took part in Russian historical concerts organized by Sergei Diaghilev in Paris, in 1909 he performed for the first time in the USA, and in 1910-1911 he played in England and Germany.

In the 1910s, Rachmaninov paid much attention to large choral forms. Great value for spiritual Russian music have his liturgical compositions - the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (1910) and All-Night Vigil (1915). In 1913, the monumental poem “The Bells” was written based on poems by Edgar Allan Poe for soloists, choir and orchestra.

Small forms are also richly and variedly represented in his work of the 1900-1910s: romances (including the famous “Lilac” to the words of Ekaterina Beketova, “It’s good here” to the words of Galina Galina, “Daisies” to the words of Igor Severyanin and many others ), pieces for piano (including two notebooks of preludes and two notebooks of “Etudes-pictures”).

The February Revolution of 1917 was a joyful event for Rachmaninov. Soon, however, the feeling of joy gave way to anxiety, which grew in connection with the unfolding events. The October Revolution was greeted with caution by the composer. In his opinion, due to the breakdown of the entire system, artistic activity in Russia could cease for many years, so the composer took advantage of the offer that came from Sweden to perform in a concert in Stockholm. In December 1917, Rachmaninov went on tour to Scandinavia, from where he never returned to Russia. In 1918, he and his family settled in the United States.

In America, Sergei Rachmaninov achieved enormous success. Listeners were attracted not only by Rachmaninov’s high performing skills, but also by his manner of playing, external asceticism, which hid the bright nature of a brilliant musician.

His interpretations of his own music and works of romantic composers - Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt - enjoyed particular success. Gramophone recordings of Rachmaninov's playing give an idea of his phenomenal technique, sense of form, and responsible attitude to detail.

Numerous concert performances did not leave Rachmaninov the strength and time to compose music. During the first nine years of emigration, Rachmaninov did not write a single new work.

In 1926 he completed the Piano Concerto No. 4 (begun in Russia in the mid-1910s). Then came “Three Russian Songs” for choir and orchestra (1926), “Variations on a Theme of Corelli” for piano (1931), “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” for piano and orchestra (1934), Symphony No. 3 (1935-1936) and "Symphonic Dances" for orchestra (1940). In the last two works, the theme of longing for a lost Russia sounds with particular force.
During the Second World War, Rachmaninov gave several concerts in the United States and sent all the money collected to the Soviet Army Foundation, which provided it with very significant assistance.

On March 28, 1943, Rachmaninov died after a serious illness surrounded by his loved ones in Beverly Hills, California, USA.

Gifted with an extraordinary ear for music and memory, Rachmaninov brilliantly completed his piano lessons at the age of 18. And a year later, in 1892, when he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the composition class, he was awarded a large gold medal for outstanding performing and composing successes. Scriabin graduated from the conservatory with him, and received a small gold medal, because the larger one was awarded only to students who graduated from the conservatory with two majors (Scriabin graduated as a pianist). For the final exam, Rachmaninov presented the one-act opera “Aleko” (based on Pushkin’s poem “Gypsies”), which he wrote in just 17 days! For her, Tchaikovsky, who was present at the exam, gave his “musical grandson” (Rachmaninov studied with Taneyev, Pyotr Ilyich’s favorite student) an A with three pluses. A year later, the opera by the 19-year-old composer was staged at the Bolshoi Theater. The music of the opera, captivating with its youthful passion, dramatic power, richness and expressiveness of melodies, was highly appreciated by major musicians, critics and listeners. The musical world treated “Aleko” not as a school work, but as the creation of a supreme master. P. I. Tchaikovsky especially highly appreciated the opera: “I really liked this charming thing,” he wrote to his brother. IN last years life of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov often communicates with him. He highly valued the creator of The Queen of Spades. Encouraged by the first success and moral support of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, after graduating from the conservatory, composed a number of works. Among them are the symphonic fantasy “The Cliff”, the first suite for two pianos, “Musical Moments”, C-sharp minor prelude, romances: “Don’t sing, beauty, in front of me”, “In the silence of the secret night”, “Island”, “ Spring waters." Impressed by the death of Tchaikovsky in 1893, the Ellegic Trio was created.

However, his creative path was not strewn with roses. There were failures that he felt acutely. In 1895, Rachmaninov completed his first symphony, which at the beginning of 1987 was performed in one of the “Russian Symphony Concerts” under the baton of A.K. Glazunov. The symphony was a fiasco; it was not understood. According to Rachmaninov’s relative L.D. Rostovtseva-Skalon, Glazunov stood phlegmatically at the console and also phlegmatically conducted it. This upset Rachmaninov to such an extent that he did not write anything for several years. He became depressed and lost faith in his abilities. He then even had to be treated by a psychiatrist. But the best medicine for the composer was music. In 1900, Rachmaninov returned to composing; he writes two parts of the second piano concerto, completed a year later; At the same time, the second suite for two pianos was written. Along with creative upsurge, there is a very an important event in the life of Sergei Vasilyevich: he marries his cousin Natalya Alekseevna Satina, with whom she will go through her entire long life journey. The successful performance of his Second Piano Concerto in 1901 completely restored Rachmaninoff's strength and helped him regain confidence in his creative abilities. The Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, written in 1901, is one of Rachmaninoff's most famous works. It combines the composer’s characteristic bell-like sound and rapid, stormy movement. This is a national-coloristic feature of Rachmaninov’s harmonic language. The flow of melodious, broad Russian-style melodies, the element of active rhythm, brilliant virtuosity, subordinate to the content, distinguish the music of the Third Concerto. It reveals one of the original foundations of Rachmaninov's musical style - an organic combination of breadth and freedom of melodic breathing with rhythmic energy. The second concert opens the most fruitful period in Rachmaninov’s composer activity. The most beautiful works appear: preludes, etudes, paintings. The best romances have been created, among them: “Lilac”, “Vocalise”, “At my window”. The largest symphonic works of these years are the Second Symphony, the symphonic poem “Island of the Dead”. During these same years, the following were created: the cantata poem “Bells”, a wonderful work for a cappella choir “All-Night Vigil”, the opera “The Miserly Knight” based on A. S. Pushkin and “Francesca da Rimini” based on Dante.

Sergei Rachmaninov gained no less fame as a pianist. Since 1900, Rachmaninov constantly gave concerts in Russia and abroad. In 1899 he successfully performed in France, and in 1909 in America. It seemed to Rachmaninov’s listeners that he did not know any pianistic difficulties: his performance was so brilliant, virtuosic, distinguished by enormous inner strength. And at the same time, Rachmaninov played unusually melodiously. Contemporaries recognized Rachmaninov as the greatest pianist of the twentieth century. But he was also a talented opera and symphony conductor, who gave a unique interpretation of many classical works. He first stood at the conductor's stand when he was only twenty years old - in 1893, in Kyiv, as the author of the opera "Aleko". In 1897, he began working as a second conductor at the Moscow Private Russian Opera of S.I. Mamontov, where he acquired the necessary practice and experience. He stayed there only for a year, but this year played an important role in his life: there he met with outstanding Russian artists - V. Serov, K. Korovin, Vrubel - and artists, and a close friendship with F. I. Chaliapin began there. Before this, Rachmaninov had never studied conducting, although he felt that he was “capable of conducting.” He was helped by natural talent, exceptional taste, phenomenal memory and impeccable hearing. On September 3, 1904, Rachmaninoff made his conducting debut at the Bolshoi Theater. Here he led a number of performances, primarily operas by Russian composers. Under the leadership of Rachmaninov, new productions of “Ivan Susanin” by M. I. Glinka and “The Queen of Spades” by P. I. Tchaikovsky were carried out. Since 1899, Rachmaninov has been performing as a conductor on tours in other countries. In May 1907, at the Paris Grand Opera, Rachmaninov conducted one of four historical concerts of Russian music (the other concerts were conducted by A. Nikisch, K. Chevillard and N. Rimsky-Korsakov). Performing concerts in the United States for the first time, he not only conducted his own compositions, but also offered interesting interpretations of works by composers such as Tchaikovsky and Mozart.

Piano music occupies a special place in Rachmaninov’s work. He wrote his best works for his favorite instrument, the piano. These are 24 preludes, 15 etudes-pictures, 4 concertos for piano and orchestra, “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” for piano and orchestra (1934), etc. The range of feelings and states expressed in them is wide - from quiet peace to strong excitement, from bright joy to gloomy sadness. Rachmaninov followed the best traditions of classics, and, above all, Russian, being a soulful singer of Russian nature. In his Second Symphony, written in 1907, in the cantata “Spring”, in the poem “The Bell” lyricism, open expression direct and strong feelings, with majestic epic images. Rachmaninov’s music merges traditions coming from P. I. Tchaikovsky and the composers of the “Mighty Handful,” especially A. P. Borodin. Rachmaninov's music, which has inexhaustible melodic riches, absorbed Russian folk song origins and some elements of Znamenny chant.

In 1915, Rachmaninov's comrade and fellow student in Zverev's class, the great Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin, died. Rachmaninov's concert repertoire consisted mainly of his own compositions. But in memory of Scriabin, Rachmaninov gave several concerts from his works, including in order to financially support Scriabin’s family.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov - composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor. He synthesized in his work the principles of the St. Petersburg and Moscow schools of composition (as well as the traditions of Western European music) and created his own original style, which subsequently influenced both Russian and world music of the 20th century.

The creative image of Rachmaninoff the composer is often defined by the words “the most Russian composer.” This brief and incomplete description expresses both the objective qualities of Rachmaninov’s style and the place of his heritage in the historical perspective of world music. It was Rachmaninov’s work that acted as the synthesizing denominator that united and fused the creative principles of the Moscow (P. Tchaikovsky) and St. Petersburg schools into a single and integral Russian style. The theme “Russia and its destiny,” which is general for Russian art of all types and genres, found an exceptionally characteristic and complete embodiment in Rachmaninov’s work. In this regard, Rachmaninov was both a successor to the tradition of the operas of Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, and a connecting link in the continuous chain of national tradition (this theme was continued in the works of S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, G. Sviridov, A. Schnittke and etc.). The special role of Rachmaninov in the development of the national tradition is explained by the historical position of Rachmaninov’s work - a contemporary of the Russian revolution: it was the revolution, reflected in Russian art as a “catastrophe”, “end of the world”, that has always been the semantic dominant of the theme “Russia and its fate” (see N. Berdyaev, “The origins and meaning of Russian communism”).

Rachmaninov's work chronologically belongs to that period of Russian art, which is commonly called the “Silver Age”. The main creative method of art of this period was symbolism, the features of which were clearly manifested in the work of Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov's works are full of complex symbolism, expressed through symbolic motifs, the main one of which is the motif of the medieval chorale Dies Irae. This motif symbolizes Rachmaninov’s premonition of a catastrophe, “the end of the world,” “retribution.”

22. P. Tchaikovsky: overview of the main genres, style features. Ballet reform of P.Tchaikovsky-M.Petipa).

Tchaikovsky wrote many works for children and about children. This is a “Children's Album” (24 pieces for piano). Here are scenes from children's life ("Game of Horses", trilogy: "Doll's Illness", "Doll's Funeral", "New Doll"), and pictures of nature ("Winter Morning", "Song of the Lark"), and melodies of different nations (“Italian song”, “Old French song”, “German song”, “Neapolitan song”, “Russian song”). Deep penetration into child psychology, into the realm of children's fantasy contributed to the creation of simple, bright plays. Tchaikovsky's "Children's Album" had a great influence on the composition of works for children by Russian and Soviet composers.

The composer wrote “Sixteen Songs for Degei” based on poems by A. Pleshcheev, K. Aksakov and other poets. The most famous songs from this cycle are “My Kindergarten”, “Cuckoo”, “My Lizochek”. The young musicians’ repertoire has also firmly included 12 plays, united in the “Seasons” cycle. All these plays are marked by the characteristic features of Tchaikovsky's work - beautiful, vivid imagery, sincerity of expression. Many, even inexperienced listeners, well understand the thoughtful and melodious melodies heard in the plays from this cycle - “On Troika”, “Barcarolle”, the sad “Autumn Song”, the cheerful animation of “Maslenitsa” - pictures of Russian life. The visual is inextricably fused with the lyrical here, and the entire cycle is the pages of the life of nature and people drawn by the composer.

Opera occupies a large place in Tchaikovsky's work. The composer believed that opera “should be the most accessible music of all types of music...” Tchaikovsky’s operas harmoniously combine the revelation of the complex inner world of the characters, their emotional experiences with the drama of the action. This is inherent in all the composer’s operas: “Eugene Onegin”, “The Queen of Spades”, “The Enchantress”, “Mazepa”, “Iolanta”, etc.

The wonderful world of fairy tales was embodied in the ballets “Swan Lake” (1876), “The Sleeping Beauty” (1889; based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault) and “The Nutcracker” (1892; based on the fairy tale by Hoffmann). And although the ballets are written in different stages creative path of the composer and do not resemble each other (in “Swan Lake” the dramatic sphere predominates, in “Sleeping Beauty” - epic, in “The Nutcracker” - characteristic), but they are all deeply lyrical and in all of them a common theme for Tchaikovsky is the desire of man fortunately, overcoming obstacles in a tense struggle. Tchaikovsky's ballets, created in collaboration with choreographers L. Ivanov and M. Petipa, resolved the main problem of the ballet theater - the relationship between music and dance. They opened the era of symphonic ballet. Therefore, Tchaikovsky, a great symphonist and opera composer, entered the history of music as a reformer of the ballet genre. His ballet music, which combines features of other genres, consistently uses symphonic methods of development.

The most important feature of Tchaikovsky's work is the strongly national character of his music. Naturally and organically “live” in the finales of the Second (1872) and Fourth (1877) symphonies, the Ukrainian song “Crane” and the Russian “Birch Tree Stood in the Field”. “Vanya was sitting on the sofa” is sung simply and touchingly in the slow movement of the First String Quartet.

Tchaikovsky knew and loved his homeland. While still living in Votkinsk, where he was born, the future composer listened to folk singing. Later he often visited Ukraine; his sister Alexandra Ilyinichna was married to L.V. Davydov, the son of the famous Decembrist. Tchaikovsky lived for a long time with his relatives in Kamenka.

The composer traveled a lot around his native country. He loved and subtly felt the beauty of Russian nature. “...I have not yet met a person who is more in love with Mother Rus' in general and its Great Russian parts in particular,” he wrote.

This “fall in love with Mother Rus'” sounds in his first symphony “Winter Dreams” (1866), written under the impression of a trip along the shores of Lake Ladoga and to the island of Valaam. Images of Russian winter nature, the landscape of the winter landscape, the breadth of the Russian plains, the mood of thoughtfulness and light sadness permeate the first two parts of the cycle (“Dreams on a Winter Road” and “Gloomy Land, Foggy Land”). The third movement - the scherzo - prepares the finale, as if painting a picture national holiday, the image of the strong and cheerful Russian people.

Tchaikovsky often went abroad. His music received worldwide recognition during the author's lifetime. In many countries, the composer acted as a promoter of Russian music and conducted his compositions. He visited the Czech Republic, Germany, France, and Italy more than once. In 1891, Tchaikovsky traveled to America, and in 1893, to England, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge. But abroad he missed Russia. From the mid-1880s, Tchaikovsky lived near Moscow, and later on the outskirts of the then small town of Klin. His last home has been preserved intact; here is the House-Museum of P. I. Tchaikovsky.

But Tchaikovsky knew not only the nature of Russia. He also knew the unjust structure of Russian society. A student of the St. Petersburg School of Law, at the age of 19 he became an assistant to the head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Justice. During three years of service, about 20 cases of peasants passed through the hands of the young lawyer, which mainly contained requests for intercession against the cruelty of landowners.

And it is no coincidence that when, having left the service, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, one of his first independent works was the overture “The Thunderstorm” based on the drama by A. N. Ostrovsky.

He understood “service to society” seriously and in many ways. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1866, he began working in Moscow: a conservatory was also opened here, and Tchaikovsky became one of its first teachers. Responding to the needs of Russian music education, he created the first Russian textbook on harmony. In the late 60s and early 70s, Tchaikovsky actively collaborated as a music critic in the Russian Vedomosti newspaper. In his articles, he fought against blind admiration for Italian opera, defending Russian musical creativity. Tchaikovsky ardently defended education, the interests of the broad masses in the field of national art, and deep confidence in the creative forces of Russia. And later, already being a famous composer, having become one of the directors of the Russian Musical Society in Moscow, he used his authority to promote Russian music and musical education.

In music, Tchaikovsky addresses the listener, reflects with him on important, serious issues of life. The generalized content, like the program of his Fourth Symphony, for example, was outlined by the composer himself in one of his letters. From the “bleak and hopeless” feelings and “tender dreams” of the first part, through the melancholy memories that possess the lyrical hero of the symphony in the second part, through the bizarre images of the third scherzo, through overcoming evil, “fate”, the composer leads us to the grand finale - “a picture of a festive fun”, to the affirmation of the objective value of the world. This concept is close to the main idea of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In many ways, Tchaikovsky acted as the heir to Beethoven's symphony.

V. I. Lenin loved Tchaikovsky’s music. Thus, in a letter to his mother dated February 4, 1903, he wrote about the Sixth (“Pathetique”) Symphony: “We recently attended a good concert for the first time this winter and were very pleased - especially with Tchaikovsky’s last symphony (Symphony pathetique).”

It developed rapidly. Reforms were actively taking place, society began to live in a new way.

The nineteenth century gave Russia a galaxy of talented cultural figures. , sculptor and finally, . At the end of the 19th century, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born, who was destined to create in the 20th century.

Sergei Vasilievich was born in March 1873 in the Novgorod region. His family belonged to the noble class and loved music very much. And my grandfather had some fame in musical circles as an author of romances.

At the age of five, Sergei began receiving systematic education. In 1882, as a 9-year-old boy, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Three years later, fate brought him to Moscow, where he continued his studies at the local conservatory.

At the Moscow Conservatory, Sergei Rachmaninov was a student of the famous musician and teacher Zverev. His teacher was more than worthy. In addition to Sergei, he was involved in the education of a future famous Russian composer.

During his years of study, Rachmaninov wrote several musical works that gave rise to his musical future. His creativity impressed. The personality of Pyotr Ilyich ultimately had a great influence on the young composer, who respected Tchaikovsky as a person and highly valued his professional qualities.

In 1893, Pyotr Tchaikovsky dies. This tragic event Rachmaninov was dumbfounded. The Russian composer immediately reflects his emotions and experiences in a new musical work - “In Memory of the Great Artist”. In subsequent years, the symphony “The Cliff” and the romances “In the Silence of the Secret Night”, “Don’t Sing, Beauty in Me,” and “Spring Waters” will appear.

In 1897, the premiere of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony took place. The premiere was a failure. The reason for the failure, according to eyewitnesses, was mainly due to the poor preparation of the orchestra and conductor Glazunov. The composer himself considered himself the main reason for the failure. He was very worried, and for several years he did not even write music.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the work of Sergei Rachmaninov began to rise. My career is definitely on the rise. In the next 15 years, the composer will write many unique musical works. The second concert for piano and orchestra goes off with a bang, the cantata “Vesta” and concerto number three for piano and orchestra, the symphony “Island of the Dead” and many other works have made the author one of the most famous Russian composers. During these same years, the maestro felt more and more confident in the role of a conductor, worked at the Bolshoi Theater, and wrote operas.

In February 1917 in Russian Empire revolution broke out. Life is not easy for the intelligentsia, people of creative professions. December has arrived, and Sergei Vasilyevich is going on tour to the Scandinavian countries. From the shores of the Scandinavian Peninsula, his path lay not to his homeland, but to the New World. Now the composer lives in the USA with his family.

Rachmaninov tours abroad a lot, his concerts are popular. Due to large touring programs, he has almost no free time for creativity. However, after several years of living abroad, he still begins to write music, although not in the same volumes. His creative crisis was associated with homesickness. In the life of any talented person in a creative profession, the topic of the Motherland is far from the last. Native life, native culture, nature - all this inspires a person to create. But he had none of this in the USA.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov died in the early spring of 1943 in the USA.