Rachmaninoff

Despite the long shadow his life threw into the 20th century, the work of Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov {Серге́й Васи́льевич Рахма́нинов} stands as one of the great pinnacles of Russian Romanticism. Born in 1873 in Semyonovo (near Novgorod) in Russia and died in 1943 in Beverly Hills, California, USA, this pianist, conductor and above all, composer left behind a body of work much loved by audiences across the world. There is a richness in his musical textures and a burning lyricism that makes his works stand out.

His Cello Sonata remains one of the most difficult chamber works in the repertoire, not [read more…]