Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). Russian composer, conductor and musician
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor. His romantic style music is characterised by extremely expressive harmonies and densely textured contrapuntal part writing, especially in his piano music. He studied at the Moscow Conservatoire, and during his studies composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 and a one-act opera Aleko, which premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1892.
Upon graduating, Rachmaninoff received a publishing contract, but following the premiere of his First Symphony (1897), which was brutally scorned, he fell into a deep depression for three years, not writing any music. Following therapy and the composition of a few short piano works, Rachmaninoff completed his Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1901, earning him glowing reviews and the Glinka Award. Having left Russia after the 1917 revolution, in 1934 Rachmaninoff composed a grand theme and variations for piano and orchestra – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a response to Nicolai Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for Solo Violin. It became Rachmaninoff’s most popular work, and inspired Frederick Ashton to create Rhapsody in 1980 for The Royal Ballet.