RACHMANINOFF:Lamb of the Romantic Era

By: Hannah Minkus

Life • Details of life are

jumbled and conflicting

• Born in Russia, 1873

• Wrote over 145 works

• Obtained American citizenship

• Died in U.S. in 1909

• Composition not appreciated until after his death

• Photo (1892) courtesy of Wikipedia

Came from a family of musicians

Even though his father followed tradition by joining the Russian Army

• Sergei’s father Vasily Arkadyevich drank and gambled with his cohorts

• Somehow managed to marry a woman of a wealthy background, Lyubof Petrovna Butakova.

• They made their home at Oneg, received by dowry.

Stories vary about how he began playing piano:

1st lessons given as punishment?

A hired piano teacher at age four?

Family life begins to change

• 1882 Vasily loses control of finances • Family moves to small apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia• Sergei moves in with aunt , attends Conservatory on scholarship• 1883 Sergei’s sister Sofia dies• Vasily leaves St. Petersburg and the family

Sergei falls behindHis home life begins to affect him-he becomes lazy in his schoolwork and music studies.

He goes to Moscow Conservatory and is “whipped into shape” by Nikolai Zyereff

Photo courtesy of http://english.ruvr.ru/2006/12/07/115140.html

Early Musical Influences

Grandmother brought him to church

Photos courtesy of russianorthodox-stl.org and flamecnoaustralia.org

19th century gypsy music

Elder sister Yelena a talented singer

Grandmother buys Novgorod estate- Sergei enjoys rivers and landscape

Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky

Photo Courtesy of uh.edu

Second and Third concerto

s are

most famous among many

symphonies, operas, choral

pieces, etc.

1909- Joins New York Philharmonic as solo pianist

Shortly after composes Edgar Allen Poe poem into “The Bells”

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

1915- Russian War Inspires “All Night Vigil” or,

“Vespres” Destroys Sergei’s estate Causes him to emigrate to the U.S.

Highly regarded icon

PIANISTPHILANTHROPIST

Highly regarded Performed

Beethoven and Tchaikovsy

Free concerts Donations to Allies to

fight Nazi regime Helped friends in

financial trouble

CONCLUSION

Rachmaninoff overcame Soviet censorship which he earned by signing a letter which condemned the Soviet Regime, becoming “possibly the greatest pianist of the 20th

century.”Source: Internet Move Database

COMPOSITION HISTORY:

Piano Concerto No. 1

Written at age 17Not a very popular pieceMay reflect his laziness at the time30 minutes longComprised of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, trombones, horns, timpanis, strings, and piano

Style: Influenced by his Russian heritage, Romantic era music, personal nature (rebelliousness and drama of a 17 year old mind?)

Failure of the piece

Part of a dark time in Rachmaninoff’s life

He seeks help from a hyponotist

Pulls out of depression and writes more successful Second and Third Concertos

Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

Revised in 1917

Rachmaninoff: “It is really good now… it plays itself so much more easily.” 

Has since been performed many times- first LA Philharmonic performance in 1960

CD covers courtesy of amazon.com

You Tube video of Rachmaninoff performing

the First Concerto

View here (1st part):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhVVQ7_MyJA

ANDHere (2nd part):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFSfv8MUgIg&feature=related

Bibliography

Harrison, Max. Rachmaninoff, Life, Works, Recordings. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006.

Howard, Orrin. LA Phil. n.d. June 2011 <http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/piece-detail.cfm?id=484>.

Lucid Cafe: Library. 1 January 2011. June 2011 <http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96apr/rachmaninoff.html>.

Internet Movie Database. n.d. June 2011 <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006245/bio>.

Wikipedia. n.d. June 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Rachmaninoff>. Photos which are not referenced are clip art.

Listening Guide• 0:00 Movement begins with strong brass fanfare

• 0:17 Piano enters with full and quick descension

• 0:28 Brass re-enters, and piano continues very deliberately

• 0:37 Brass abruptly ends to give way to piano solo

• 0:45 Piano slows tempo until a stop at…

• 0:48 Strings enter with horns, the tempo stays slow with a lilting melody, very romantic

• 1:17 Piano enters again and plays melody with subtle arpeggios

• 1:50 Piano picks up tempo again and begins to very slowly crescendo

• 2:11 Reaches small climax, then slow to moderate tempo begins again with arpeggios continuing

• 2:36 Strings die down, piano continues in soft tone, very mild timbre

• 2:56 Strings enter again with melody and a swaying rhythm

• 3:32 Climax begins on piano with ascending notes, in a crescendo

• 3:36 Orchestra enters again and leads up to climax

• 4:03 A dramatic pause

• 4:09 Slow tempo with lilting feeling returns (trills can be heard)

• 4:39 Return to climax with allegro tempo

• 4:49 Brass/woodwinds and strings (with abrupt tone) echo dramatically

• 5:02 Piano enters again in higher pitch with repeating arpeggios

• 5:39 Oboe (?) plays, and strings and rest of orchestra gradually enter with melody again

• 5:59 Piano enters with strong tone giving way to moderato, then pianissimo

• 6:18 Piano begins ascension again with soft texture

• 6:30 Orchestra enters again, rhythm is more staccato

• 6:55 Slow melody/soft texture begins again, piano playing portion of melody

• 7:36 Rest, then fast tempo beings again with high pitch arpeggios from piano in a gradual crescendo

• 7:53 Orchestra emphasis, and then piano beings to slow and descend again

• 8:40 Orchestra begins with melody and piano continues arpeggios

• 9:14 Orchestra climbs to climax with brass and woodwinds playing forte

• 9:21 Rhythm changes

• 9:28 Cadenza begins…

• 10:29 Very soft, dramatic tone from piano

• 10:47 Piano begins to play melody beneath arpeggios

• 11:11 Piano picks up tempo, lower tones, minor key is strongly evident in lower notes

• 11:47 Strings enter abruptly, then join the brass/woodwinds echoing softly

• 13:03 Orchestra (strings especially) accent the descension

• 13:09 End of movement

THE END