Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1 April [possibly 20 March] 1873 – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness, dense contrapuntal textures, and rich orchestral colours. The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff’s compositional output and he used his skills as a performer to fully explore the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument. Along with his musical gifts, Rachmaninoff had large hands with a gigantic finger stretch. The British concert pianist Cyril Smith noted that Rachmaninoff could play a twelfth with the left hand playing C, Eb, G, C and G, and his right hand could play the notes C (index), E (3rd finger), G, C, and E (thumb). Melancholic by nature, all his works are in minor keys. The famous British film Brief Encounter (1945) used excerpts from his second piano concerto and other composers wrote music of similar character for other romantic films of the period.
NB His surname is also transliterated as Rachmaninov.
Side A:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Sharp Minor Op.1
Side B:
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Op.18
Movements 1 and 2
Side C:
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Op.18
Movement 3
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor Op.30
Movement 1
Side D:
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor Op.30
Movements 2 and 3
Side E:
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor Op.40
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op.43
Sir Stephen Hough (piano) / Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton
The sleeve notes by the pianist illuminate the way he and the conductor approached making these recordings, with reference to Rachmaninov’s own performances.
