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Sergey Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)Rachmaninov's early musical life was quite brilliant; he won the great gold medal of the Moscow Conservatoire (only the third recipient in the Conservatoire's history), and was greatly encouraged by Tchaikovsky, in whose memory Rachmaninov composed his large-scale Trio élégiaque opus 9. By the age of 23, Rachmaninov had written his First Symphony but the first performance in 1897, conducted by Glazunov, was a disaster. The result caused him to lose his self-confidence, so much so that for three years he wrote hardly anything of consequence, and his indifference to composition led his family to urge him to seek medical help. He consulted Dr Nikolai Dahl, a gifted amateur musician and a pioneer in psychotherapy, whose treatment over some months in 1900 effected a cure. Following this treatment, Rachmaninov holidayed with Feodor Chaliapin and his wife in the Crimea, and went with them to Italy, where the great bass was to appear; during these months, Rachmaninov's muse returned: he drafted a new Piano Concerto (his Second) and a Suite for Two Pianos (also his Second), both of which he completed on his return to Moscow. By December 17th, 1901, he had completed the score of his Cello Sonata, opus 19, his only chamber-music sonata and one of his largest and most important compositions in the genre. However, by then the work had been given, on December 2nd in Moscow, performed by Rachmaninov and his friend Anatoly Brandukov, to whom the Sonata is dedicated. The difference in dates is accounted for by the addition of the brilliant coda, which would appear to have been composed later, along with several other slight revisions - no doubt as a result of Rachmaninov having heard the work in performance. Rachmaninov on Guild Music
Page revised Friday November 17 2006 |
