Biography
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is a great Russian composer, also famous as a pianist and conductor. He first gained fame while still a student, as he wrote a number of very popular romances, the famous Prelude, the First Piano Concerto and the opera “Aleko”, which was staged at the Bolshoi Theater. In his work, he synthesized two main Russian schools of composition, Moscow and St. Petersburg, and created his own unique style, which became the pearl of classical music.
Sergei Rachmaninov in childhood | Senard
Sergei was born in the Semyonovo estate, located in the Novgorod province, but grew up on the Oneg estate, which belonged to his father, nobleman Vasily Arkadyevich. The composer's mother, Lyubov Petrovna, was the daughter of the director of the Arakcheevsky Cadet Corps. Rachmaninov apparently inherited his musical talent through the male line. His grandfather was a pianist and performed in concerts in many cities of the Russian Empire. Dad was also known as an excellent musician, but he played only in groups of friends.
Parents: mother Lyubov Petrovna and father Vasily Arkadyevich
Sergei Rachmaninov became interested in the music in his very early years. His first teacher was his mother, who introduced the child to the basics of musical notation, then he studied with a visiting pianist, and at the age of 9 he entered the junior class of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. But finding himself at such an early age to be his own master, the boy could not cope with the temptation and began to skip classes. At a family council, Sergei Rachmaninov briefly explained to his family that he lacked discipline, and the father transferred his son to Moscow, to a private boarding school for musically gifted children. The students of this institution were under constant supervision, honed their playing of instruments for six hours a day and without fail went to the Philharmonic and the Opera House.
Photo of Sergei Rachmaninoff as a child | Senard
However, four years later, having quarreled with his mentor, the talented teenager quits his studies. He remained to live in Moscow, as his relatives sheltered him, and only in 1988 he continued his studies, already at the senior department of the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated with a gold medal at the age of 19 in two areas - as a pianist and as a composer. By the way, even at a tender age, Sergei Rachmaninov, whose short biography is inextricably linked with the greatest Russian musicians, met Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was thanks to him that the first opera of the young talent “Aleko” based on the work of A. S. Pushkin was staged on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater.
Sergei Rachmaninov in his youth | Senard
After graduating from the conservatory, the young man began teaching young ladies at women's institutes. Sergei Rachmaninov also taught piano privately, although he always did not like being a teacher. Later, the composer took the place of conductor at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater and led the orchestra when they staged performances from the Russian repertoire. Another conductor, the Italian I. K. Altani, was responsible for foreign productions. When the October Revolution of 1917 occurred, Rachmaninov did not accept it, so he emigrated from Russia at the first opportunity. He took advantage of the invitation to give a concert in Stockholm and never returned from there.
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov | Senard
It should be noted that in Europe, Sergei Vasilyevich was left without money and property, since otherwise he would not have been released abroad. He decided to perform as a pianist. Sergei Rachmaninov gave concert after concert and very quickly paid off his debts, and also gained enormous fame. At the end of 1918, the musician sailed by boat to New York, where he was greeted as a hero and a star of the first magnitude. In the USA, Rachmaninov continued to tour as a pianist, and occasionally as a conductor, and did not stop this activity until the end of his life. Americans literally idolized the Russian composer, and a crowd of photographers always followed him. Sergei even had to use tricks to get rid of the annoying attention. For example, he often rented a hotel room but slept in a private railroad car to confuse reporters.
Briefly about the composer
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, biography, whose photos are presented in this article, was an outstanding composer. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky himself, when he first heard the conservatory student S. Rachmaninoff, predicted a great future for him. The composer had an unusually excellent ear and excellent musical memory. The first opera written by S. Rachmaninov, “Aleko,” was staged at the Bolshoi Theater when the author was only 20 years old. Since 1894 S.V. Rachmaninov began his teaching career. During the years of the Revolution, he emigrated from the country and lived the rest of his life abroad, where he was very homesick, but he was not destined to return.
Works
While still a student at the conservatory, Rachmaninov became famous at the Moscow level. It was then that he wrote the First Piano Concerto, the Prelude in C-sharp minor, which became his calling card for many years, as well as many lyrical romances. But the career that had started so successfully was interrupted due to the failure of the First Symphony. After its performance at the St. Petersburg Concert Hall, the composer received a barrage of criticism and devastating reviews. For more than three years, Sergei Vasilyevich did not compose anything, was depressed and spent almost all the time lying at home on the sofa. Only by resorting to the help of a hypnotist did the young man manage to overcome his creative crisis.
In 1901, Rachmaninov finally wrote a new major work, “Second Piano Concerto.” And this opus is still considered one of the greatest works of classical music. Even modern musicians note the influence of this creation. For example, based on it, Matthew Bellamy, frontman, created such compositions as “Space Dementia”, “Megalomania” and “Ruled by Secrecy”. You can also feel the melody of the Russian composer in the songs “The Fallen Priest” by Freddie Mercury, “All by Myself” by Celine Dion and “I Think of You” by Frank Sinatra.
The symphonic poem “Island of the Dead”, “Symphony No. 2”, which, unlike the first, was a tremendous success with the public, as well as the very complex “Piano Sonata No. 2” turned out to be absolutely stunning. In it, Rachmaninov made extensive use of the effect of dissonance and developed its application to the maximum level. Speaking about the work of the Russian composer, one cannot help but mention the magically beautiful “Vocalise”. This work was published as part of the collection of Fourteen Songs, but is usually performed alone and is an indication of the performance's mastery. Today there are versions of “Vocalise” not only for voice, but also for piano, violin and other instruments, including with orchestra.
After emigration, Sergei Vasilyevich did not write significant works for a very long time. Only in 1927 did he release Piano Concerto No. 4 and several Russian songs. In the last years of his life, Rachmaninov created only three musical works - “Symphony No. 3”, “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra” and “Symphonic Dances”. But it is noteworthy that all three belong to the pinnacle of world classical music.
Sergei Vasilyevich's wife
On April 29, 1902, the wedding of a couple in love took place in a small church on the outskirts of Moscow, after which the newlyweds immediately left for the station and went on a trip. They returned to Russia only a few months later.
Soon their eldest daughter Irina was born. Sergei and Natalya were relatives - cousins. At that time, it was forbidden for close relatives to marry; for this it was necessary to obtain permission from the emperor himself, and he gave such permission only in particularly exceptional cases. Sergei Rachmaninov submitted a petition to the Tsar, but the lovers got married without waiting for an answer from him. Everything worked out fine. A few years later their second daughter was born.
Personal life
Rachmaninov was a very amorous man, in whose heart feelings for the ladies around him repeatedly flared up. And it was precisely thanks to such emotionality that the composer’s romances turned out to be so lyrical. Sergei was about 17 years old when he met the Skalon sisters. The young man especially singled out one of them, Vera, whom he called either Verochka or “My Psychopath”. Rachmaninov's romantic feeling turned out to be mutual, but at the same time purely platonic. The young man dedicated the song “In the Silence of the Secret Night,” a romance for cello and piano, as well as the second part of his First Piano Concerto, to Vera Scalon.
Sergei Rachmaninov and his wife Natalya Satina | Senard
After returning to Moscow, Sergei writes the girl a huge number of love letters, of which about a hundred have survived. But at the same time, the ardent young man falls in love with Anna Lodyzhenskaya, the wife of his friend. For her, he composes the romance “Oh no, I pray you don’t go!”, which has become a classic. And Rachmaninov met his future wife, Natalya Alexandrovna Satina, much earlier, because she was the daughter of the very relatives who sheltered him when Sergei dropped out of school at the boarding house.
With daughters Irina and Tatyana | Senard
In 1893, Rachmaninov realized that he was in love and gave his beloved a new romance, “Don’t sing, beauty, in front of me.” The personal life of Sergei Rachmaninov changes nine years later - Natalya becomes the official wife of the young composer, and a year later - the mother of his eldest daughter Irina. Rachmaninov also had a second daughter, Tatyana, who was born in 1907. But Sergei Vasilyevich’s love of love did not exhaust itself there. One of the “muses” of the Russian classical legend was the young singer Nina Koshits, for whom he specially wrote a number of vocal parts. But after Sergei Vasilyevich emigrated, he was accompanied on his tours only by his wife, whom Rachmaninov called “the good genius of my whole life.”
Sergei Rachmaninov and his wife Natalya Satina | Senard
Despite the fact that the composer and pianist spent most of his time in the United States, he often visited Switzerland, where he built the luxurious Senar villa, which offers an amazing view of Lake Firvaldstät and Mount Pilatus. The name of the villa is an abbreviation of the names of its owners - Sergei and Natalia Rachmaninov. In this house, the man fully realized his long-time passion for technology. There you could find an elevator, a toy railroad, and one of the new products of that time - a vacuum cleaner. The composer was also the holder of a patent for his invention: he created a special muff with a heating pad attached to it, in which pianists could warm their hands before a concert. Also in the star’s garage there was always a brand new Cadillac or Continental, which he changed every year.
With grandchildren Sofinka Volkonskaya and Sasha Konyus | Senard
The biography of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov would be incomplete if we did not talk about his love for Russia. All his life the composer remained a patriot; in exile he surrounded himself with Russian friends, Russian servants, and Russian books. But he refused to return because he did not recognize Soviet power. However, when Nazi Germany attacked the USSR, Rachmaninov was almost on the verge of panic. He began sending money collected from many concerts to the Red Army Fund and encouraged many of his acquaintances to follow his example.
Composer's parents
The biography of Vasily Arkadyevich Rachmaninov, the father of the great composer, is connected with the army and music. He was born in 1841 and died at the age of 75. He was an officer, a hussar, and was musically gifted. He entered service at the age of 16 with the rank of non-commissioned officer. A year later he became a cadet, and a year later - an ensign. Then he held the ranks: second lieutenant, cornet, senior adjutant, staff captain, lieutenant. He resigned several times for family reasons and returned to the military.
He was finally dismissed from service for health reasons in 1872. After which he was appointed as a mediator of land delimitation in several districts of the Novgorod province. During the years of military service he was awarded: a cross for the conquest of the Caucasus, a Silver medal for the conquest of Chechnya and Dagestan, a medal for the pacification of the Polish rebellion and a silver medal for the conquest of the Western Caucasus.
Death
All his life, Sergei Vasilyevich smoked a lot, almost never parting with cigarettes. Most likely, it was this addiction that caused melanoma in the composer in his declining years. True, Rachmaninov himself did not suspect about cancer, he worked until his last days and just a month and a half before his death gave a grandiose concert in the USA, which became his last.
Sergei Rachmaninov | Senard
The great Russian composer did not live to see his 70th birthday by only three days. He died in his California apartment in Beverly Hills on March 28, 1943.
Childhood and youth
Biography of Rachmaninov S.V. associated with such names as V.V. Demyansky, Nikolai Zverev and S.I. Taneev. These are three great teachers from whom Sergei Vasilievich studied. The composer began receiving higher musical education in St. Petersburg. But after 3 years of study he moved to Moscow. Then he studied at the capital's conservatory in two departments: composition and piano. Sergei Vasilievich graduated from the Conservatory with a gold medal. S. Rachmaninov began giving concerts during his student years. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky attended Sergei Vasilyevich’s exam and gave him an A with three pluses.
Conducting activities
The composer Rachmaninov, whose biography is not limited only to performing and composing activities, began conducting in 1897. He served as conductor at the opera house of the famous philanthropist Savva Mamontov. Here Sergei Vasilyevich met Fyodor Chaliapin, with whom he was on friendly terms all his life. In 1898, Sergei Rachmaninov was on tour in Crimea with the opera house, where he met Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. A year later, conductor S. Rachmaninov went on tour abroad for the first time - to England.
