Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)

150 years ago this week, Sergei Rachmaninov was born: one of the
finest pianists of his generation, touring the world in the 1920s
and 30s as a musical megastar. Composing had been his real
passion since childhood, and towards the end of his time in
Russia before the Revolution, it was farming. Though St
Petersburg and then Moscow was his base for much of his early
life, it was Ivanovka – a country estate deep in the Russian
countryside - that formed him. The house and the land surrounding
it were a major source of his creative inspiration until his last
visit in 1917. Donald Macleod explores how important Ivanovka was
to Rachmaninov, and how he carried the precious memory of it with
him when he left it behind for a life of exile.


Music Featured:


Lilacs op 21, No 5, ‘Siren’ Piano Concerto No. 1 (mvt 1) Dances
from Aleko Cello Sonata in G minor (mvt 1) Vesna Symphony No 2
(Mvt 2) Songs Op 34, No 12 Piano Concerto No 3 (Mvt 1) All-Night
Vigil (Excerpt) Piano Concerto No 2 (Mvt 1) Etudes-Tableaux Op
39, No 6 The Bells (Mvt 2) Prelude Op 3, No 2 Three Russian Songs
Symphony No 3 (Mvt 2) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Excerpt)
Isle of the Dead Symphonic Dances (Mvt III) Suite No 2 for Two
Pianos (Mvt IV) The Bells op.35 (Mvt IV)


Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Megan Jones


For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 –
1943) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k8ck


And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z