S. Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor from the late Romantic period in classical music. During a career that spanned both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Rachmaninov drew acclaim for dramatically expressive compositions, bold orchestrations, and virtuosic piano writing and performance.
Rachmaninov lived and worked during an era in which Russian composers were at the forefront of European classical music. He was preceded by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Modest Mussorgsky and was a contemporary of Alexander Scriabin, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Among his Russian peers, he stands out for his melancholy expressiveness and his status as a true piano virtuoso.
Although Rachmaninov’s career was plagued by disruptive world events and a personal battle with depression, he left a dramatic mark on Western music.
In Rachmaninov’s later life, he performed frequently at the piano and on the conductor’s stand. His final piece, Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1941. Declining health motivated him to move west to Beverly Hills, California. His last recital took place on February 17, 1943, at the University of Tennessee, where he played the Piano Sonata No. 2 by Chopin—famed for its funeral march. Rachmaninov and his wife became naturalized American citizens in February 1943, but he died in March of that year. He is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.
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