"Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov was a Russian pianist, composer, and conductor of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular in the classical repertoire.
Born into a musical family, Rachmaninov took up the piano at age four. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1892 and had composed several piano and orchestral pieces by this time. In 1897, following the 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. After the Russian Revolution, Rachmaninov and his family left Russia and resided in the United States, first in New York City. Demanding piano concert tour schedules caused his output as composer to slow tremendously; between 1918 and 1943, he completed just six compositions, including Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 3, and Symphonic Dances. In 1942, Rachmaninov moved to Beverly Hills, California. One month before his death from advanced melanoma, Rachmaninov acquired American citizenship.
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 his use of rich orchestral colors.[3] The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninov's compositional output, and through his own skills as a performer he explored the expressive possibilities of the instrument.

Featured on

Edition Klavierfestival Ruhr Vol. 40, Debüts und eine Uraufführung für Alfred Brendel
Various Artists
Tales
Asterope Ensemble
Tedd Joselson's Companionship of Concertos: Grieg: Piano Concerto – Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tedd Joselson
Complete Rachmaninoff piano works
Sergio Fiorentino
Prokofiev & Rachmaninoff: Piano Works
Dzmitry Ulasiuk
Live in Taiwan 1998
Sergio Fiorentino
Locus Iste
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge
Rachmaninov ! Sibelius
Chineke! Orchestra
Nøringen
Anders Eidsten Dahl & Vegard Landaas
Symphony No. 2, Live in Concert
Philharmonia Orchestra
Guastavino & Rachmaninoff
Martin Klett
Russian Music
Sebastian Di Bin
Russian Recital
Vladimir Tropp
Heritage
Frédéric D'Oria-Nicolas | Alexander Kobrin
Romantic Piano
Antonio Pompa-Baldi
Cello Sonatas
Audun Sandvik & Sveinung Bjelland
Symphony No. 1, Live in Concert
Philharmonia Orchestra
Complete Works and Transcriptions for Violin and Piano
Annelle K. Gregory
A Retrospective Volume 2
Steven Staryk
Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninoff
Trio Solisti
Berl Senofsky in Concert - EXPO '58 Brussels
Berl Senofsky
Lullabies for Mila
Alessio Bax
Inside Tracks
James Rhodes
Tundra
Knut Erik Sundquist
24 Préludes Op. 11 - Sonata No. 1 Op. 28
Peter Orth
Piano Trio No. 2 “Trio élégiaque“
Artur Pizarro
Collage
Amit Peled / Noreen Polera
Transcriptions and Arrangements for Organ
Jeremy Filsell
LOVE in London
James Rhodes
Piano Man
James Rhodes
Moments of love
Dominique Labelle / Yehudi Wyner
Piano Works
Alexei Volodin
Cello Sonata/Etudes-tableaux/Danse Orientale
Steven Doane / Barry Snyder
James Rhodes Live in Brighton
James Rhodes
Quintets & Quartet
Arianna String Quartet/zirk/foster/mehta/...
Preludes & Melodies
Alessio Bax
The Original Recordings 1951-1966
Willem van Otterloo
Rachmaninov: Music for Piano
Filsell
Piano concerto no. 2 & piano pieces
Nobuyuki Tsujii / Yutaka Sado
Swan Lake Suite - Symphonic Dances
St Petersberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Piano Trios
Gould Piano Trio
Rachmaninov & Grieg - Cello Sonatas
Jamie Walton / Daniel Grimwood
Works for Violin and Piano
Konstantin Lifschitz / Hideko Udagawa
Piano Concertos by Rachmaninoff & Hummel
F. Blumental, Orch. Vienna Musikges
Portraits II (Edition Ruhr Piano Festival Vol 15
D. Bashkirov; H. Schuch; D. Fray, C. Chamorel; S. Mauser; V. Kharin
Rachmaninov: Vespers
Various Artists
Sonata No. 2 / Complete 24 Preludes
Marietta Petkova
Allegri Miserere
Tenebrae
The Wedding Album
Chiaro, Giovanni De
Vespers, Op. 37
Voronezh Chamber Choir
Piano Concertos 3 & 4
Nicolai Lugansky
Études-Tableaux (complete)
Nikolai Lugansky