Sergei Rachmaninoff

 Russian Romantic period composer and pianist (1873-

1943).
 Started playing the piano aged 4.
 Composed his first piano concerto at just 18!
 Wrote a large number of piano works, including 24
Preludes.
 Composed a number of Choral works that reflected
his religious beliefs.
 Famous works include his 3 piano concerti, the Prelude
in C minor, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and his
arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble
Bee.
 Rachmaninoff’s première of his 1 Symphony was a
st

disaster (allegedly because of a drunk conductor), and

he fell into deep depression and didn’t compose again
for 3 years… until his friends (and lots of therapy)
convinced his otherwise. His re-debut featuring his 2 nd

piano concerto was a runaway success.

 His Prelude in C minor was such a popular hit that
everyone requested he play it… to the point he grew
tired of it, saying “Many, many times I wish I had never
written it.”
 Rachmaninoff was ridiculed for writing in the
Romantic style when it was ‘obviously over’.
 His 3 piano concerto is regarded as one of most
rd

technically challenging pieces for the piano and is

featured in the film 1996 Shine about the pianist David
Helfgott.
 Rachmaninoff finished writing his 3 piano concerto
rd

while escaping the Russian Revolution en route to

America, using only a ‘dummy piano’ to help (or you
can say he procrastinated and had to finish on his way,
copying a lot from his 2 piano concerto in the
nd

process to finish it).

 Prelude in C minor Op.3, No. 2
(yes, that is 2 staves per hand in the
last two pages)

 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

o 18th Variation

 Flight of the Bumble Bee (arrangement)