Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich (1873-1943), composer, pianist and conductor.

Born on April 1, 1873 in the estate of Semyonov, Novgorod province, in a noble family. In 1882, the Rachmaninovs moved to St. Petersburg. In the same year, Sergei entered the conservatory.

Since the autumn of 1886, he became one of the best students and received a scholarship named after A. G. Rubinstein.

At the final exam in harmony, P. I. Tchaikovsky liked the preludes composed by Rachmaninoff so much that he gave a five, surrounded by four pluses.

The most significant of the early works is the one-act opera Aleko based on the plot of A. S. Pushkin. It was completed in an unprecedentedly short time - just over two weeks. The examination took place on May 7, 1892; the commission gave Rachmaninov the highest mark, he was awarded the Big Gold Medal. The premiere of "Aleko" at the Bolshoi Theater took place on April 27, 1893 and was a huge success.

In the spring of 1899 Rachmaninoff completed the famous Second Piano Concerto; in 1904 the composer was awarded the Glinka Prize for him.

In 1902, the cantata "Spring" was created based on the poem "Green Noise" by N. A. Nekrasov. For it, the composer also received the Glinka Prize in 1906.

A significant event in the history of Russian music was the arrival of Rachmaninoff in the fall of 1904 to the Bolshoi Theater as a conductor and head of the Russian repertoire. In the same year, the composer completed his operas The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini. After two seasons, Rachmaninoff left the theater and settled first in Italy and then in Dresden.

The symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead" was written here. In March 1908, Sergei Vasilyevich became a member of the Moscow Directorate of the Russian Musical Society, and in the fall of 1909, together with A.N. Skryabin and N.K. Medtner, he joined the Council of the Russian Musical Publishing House.
At the same time, he created the choral cycles "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" and "Vespers".

In the autumn of 1915, Vocalise appeared, dedicated to the singer A.V. Nezhdanova. In total, Rachmaninov wrote about 80 romances.

In 1917, the situation in the country worsened, and the composer, taking advantage of an invitation to tour in Stockholm, went abroad on December 15. He did not assume that he was leaving Russia forever. After touring Scandinavia, Rachmaninov arrived in New York.

In the summer of 1940, he completed his last major work, Symphonic Dances.
On February 5, 1943, the last concert of the great musician took place.

Introduction

rachmaninoff vocal romance poetry

Rachmaninov's romances are among the most remarkable pages not only of this composer's work, but of all Russian music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, romance was perhaps the most common and favorite form of musical and poetic communication. As a genre designed to express intimate experiences, it proved to be the ideal form for expressing a wide variety of images. Love tragedy and intoxication with the joy of being, bright landscape lyrics - these are just a few themes of Rachmaninov's romances.

At present, a lot of musicological literature is devoted to Rachmaninov's chamber vocal work. The list of studies on this topic continues to grow, which testifies to the constant comprehension of this great and truly inexhaustible music. In this work, we will limit ourselves to a brief description of Rachmaninov's chamber vocal work and dwell in more detail on the early romance “Oh, do not be sad” op. 14 No. 8 to the words of A. Apukhtin, written in 1896.

Rachmaninov's Chamber Vocal Work: General Description

Rachmaninoff's romances in their popularity compete, perhaps, only with his piano works. During his life, the composer wrote about 80 romances, most of which were written on the texts of Russian poets of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. A much smaller share (only a little more than a dozen) is occupied by romances based on poems by poets of the first half of the 19th century: Pushkin, Koltsov, Shevchenko in Russian translation and others.

The category of well-known facts includes evidence of Rachmaninoff's close attention to the texts of his compositions. A lot of memoirs of friends, relatives, students have been written on this topic, many letters have been preserved. The constant search for texts was the general state of the composer's environment; Rachmaninov himself thought about this incessantly. Of particular interest in this vein is the correspondence with Marietta Shahinyan; on her advice, he wrote a number of romances, including romances based on poems by symbolist poets: V. Bryusov, F. Sologub.

Rachmaninoff was unusually receptive to poetry. For the romance creativity of Rachmaninoff, the beginning of the romance was an extremely important moment. Quite often it was it that determined and formed the entire composition of the musical whole. Often initial phrase absorbed as much as possible all the tension of spiritual currents. Let us recall some stanzas that open Rachmaninov's romances, which in the indicated aspect seem to be very revealing:

"Oh no, please don't go!"

"Love you!" ("Morning")

"I'm waiting for you!"

“It's time! Appear, prophet!"

"Oh, don't be sad for me!"

It is generally accepted that the texts that Rachmaninoff referred to are often “far from masterpieces” and belong to poetry of the “second plan”. Indeed, romances based on poems by Lermontov, Tyutchev, Fet, Balmont, Heine coexist in Rachmaninoff with works based on texts by little-known poetesses E. Beketova, G. Galina, M. Davidova or S. Ya., fashionable at the end of the 19th century. Nadson, who already in 1906 V.Ya. Bryusov criticized for "an undeveloped and motley language, stereotyped epithets, a meager choice of images, lethargy and lengthy speech." Such a choice of the composer at first glance may seem paradoxical, especially if we take into account the unusual one mentioned above. composer's sensitivity to the poetic text. It seems that Rachmaninov simply assessed poetry differently, putting musicality verse. As a result, what could have gone unnoticed in a poetry collection seemed to “come to life” with Rachmaninov's music, acquiring new artistic qualities.

Recall that Rachmaninov interpreted the romance as an area of ​​expression of predominantly lyrical feelings and moods. Unlike Dargomyzhsky or Mussorgsky, there are almost no epic, genre-domestic, comedic or characteristic images in him.? Rachmaninov's vocal works are dominated by dramatic subject. Fatal contradictions most often live in the soul of the hero himself: the bitter consciousness of the impossibility of happiness and, in spite of everything, the irrepressible desire for it is the main mood of most of Rachmaninov's dramatic romances. ? This is especially vividly felt in opus "ahs 21 and 26, written respectively in 1902 and 1906 and which are examples of the mature Rachmaninoff style. In the later representatives of the genre, for example, in the cycle on the words of Russian symbolist poets op. some detachment (“Pied Piper”), the lyrical-psychological principle and images of poetic nature (“Daisies”) are closely intertwined.

A completely separate group consists of several romances on spiritual themes. In addition to the well-known works “From the Gospel of John” (1915), “The Resurrection of Lazarus” (op. 34 No. 6, verses by A.S. Khomyakov), this group includes “Two Sacred Songs” written in poems by K. Romanov and F. Sologub in 1916 and dedicated to Nina Koshyts. These compositions were published in the USA and just recently became known to Russian musicians. More about this: Guseva A.V. Unknown pages of Rachmaninov's vocal creativity. Two Spiritual Songs (1916) // Edge of Ages. Rachmaninoff and his contemporaries. Sat. articles. - SPb., 2003. S. 32 - 53 .. Despite the dissimilarity of all four romances, each of them is an ardent prayer "in the first person." The lyrical sphere again remains dominant.

Among the numerous features of Rachmaninov's chamber vocal style, one should note exceptionally. role of piano accompaniment. Rachmaninoff, being not only a composer, but also one of the best pianists in the world, in his romances equally paid attention to both the voice and the piano. The pianist here is a full-fledged partner of the vocalist, and the piano part in romances requires not only ensemble subtlety, but also great virtuosity.

The piano part of Rachmaninoff's romances is so expressive and individualized that it is impossible to call it just an accompaniment. In this regard, it is interesting to cite the composer's remark about the romance "The Night is Sad": "... actually, it is not for him [ie the singer] to sing, but for the accompanist on the piano." And indeed, in this romance (as in many others), the voice and the piano merge into a vocal-instrumental duet ensemble. Very often the piano part forms a polyrhythmic connection with the melody (binary meter in the melody - ternary in the accompaniment), which gives the texture a certain unsteadiness and at the same time a sense of space, liveliness and freedom. In Rachmaninov's romances, there are examples of concert-virtuoso, decorative and lush piano texture, along with a transparent chamber presentation, requiring exceptional sound skills from the pianist in conveying rhythmic and polyphonic details of the musical fabric, the finest register and harmonic colors.

Rachmaninov's inherent sense of form is clearly manifested in the convex and tense dynamics of his romances. They are distinguished by a special dramatic sharpness, "explosiveness" of culminations, in which the internal psychological collision, the main idea of ​​the work, is revealed with extraordinary force. No less typical for the composer's vocal lyrics are the so-called "quiet" culminations - with the use of high sounds on the most delicate pianissimo.

Such climaxes, with all their outward restraint, have great emotional intensity and produce an indelible artistic impression, being an expression of the author's innermost thoughts and feelings.

Origin and education of Rachmaninoff

The Rachmaninov family is an old one, dating back to the distant XIV century. The family lived not far from Novgorod in the Oneg family estate. Sergei was the fourth child and was brought up in a family where they skillfully played various musical instruments (date of birth April 2, 1873). Seryozha's talent was noticed early. Mom Lyubov Petrovna became the first teacher of the boy.

In 1881, in a rather difficult time, the family of the headquarters of retired captain Vasily Arkadievich Rakhmaninov arrived in St. Petersburg. The move was connected with the need to educate the children. Since 1882, Sergei has been studying for several years in the elementary classes of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. As soon as all the children received places in state educational institutions, father Vasily Rachmaninov leaves the family. A relative worries about the fate of a talented child and takes him to a private boarding school in the class of N.S. Zverev. This school had strict discipline. The life of the "animals" was tense. The first meeting with P. Tchaikovsky took place at school. In the future, Taneyev, Arensky will become his teachers.

Early work

In 1890, a young man in love with Natalia Skalon went to St. Petersburg, where the girl's family lived. But the general's daughter was considered not a couple for the poor musician Rachmaninov. In 1892, the maestro's studies at the Moscow Conservatory ended. At the age of nineteen, for his graduation work "Aleko" based on A. Pushkin's "Gypsies", the young composer was awarded a large gold medal. The opera was written in 17 days. Sergei dedicated it to his beloved woman - the gypsy Anna Ladyzhinskaya. Love was unrequited. Anna was already married. Soon the opera was performed on the stage of the Imperial Opera House. Mentor Zverev even gave his student a gold watch. After the laudatory reviews of music critics, the composer and pianist were talked about almost immediately in many cities, including among the creative elite of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

There were legends about the hands of the pianist, as if he even wears gloves in the summer, and at his concerts they hypnotize the audience with his hands.
In 1897, the long-awaited premiere of the symphony. But it failed, after which the author burned it. The composer was so worried about mental anguish that he fell ill. The Skalon sisters at first took care of the sick young man. For three whole years Sergei Vasilyevich did not touch the instrument. For help, a talented and at the same time misunderstood author turned to the psychotherapist N. Dahl. The treatment returned the composer's love for music. And there was the Second Piano Concerto in two parts.

An unknown young man with musical talents, due to lack of money, taught music to girls at the Mariinsky School. Unexpectedly, Sergei agreed to the place of the second conductor in the Russian opera of the entrepreneur Savva Mamontov. There, in the patron's estate, Rachmaninov's friendship with the singer Fyodor Chaliapin begins. The first solid conductor's experience turns out to be successful. The work didn't stop. Sergei Vasilyevich creates performances "Pan Governor", "Mermaid", "Orpheus", "Carmen". Already during concerts in the Crimea, he communicates with the creative elite N. Bunin, A. Chekhov. The beginning of the twentieth century - the dawn of Rachmaninov's work: "Cliff" (1893), "Spring" (1902).

Personal life

In the spring of 1902, Sergei Rachmaninov secretly married Natasha Satina. She was in love with the pianist from her youth and remained his faithful friend until her last breath. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in the Swiss city of Lucerne. We settled in a hotel on a mountain with a wonderful view of the lake. In 30 years, not far from this place, Rachmaninov will build himself a villa, which, together with his wife, will be called "SeNaR". In marriage, daughters Irina and Tatyana were born.

According to the observations of relatives and friends in professional life, Sergei Vasilyevich was a closed, stern, cold and somewhat distant person for his colleagues. At the same time, a very disciplined and responsible person. He had a phenomenal memory. He always started his working day at 7 in the morning and continued to work until 12. The industrious musician was noticed and invited to work as a conductor at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. There, the gaze of the musical genius was turned to the opera. The audience loved the work "The Miserly Knight", "Francesca da Rimini" (1904). Many noted that even Tchaikovsky was not able to conduct his operas with such virtuosity.

Revolutions - in the country and in creativity

The events of 1905 also overwhelmed the composer. Without hesitation, he stands up for the rights of artists of the Bolshoi Theater. The storms of the revolution frightened the famous pianist. People in Russia had no time for music. He spends the whole three years of his life in a quiet and calm Dresden. There appeared the symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead" (1909). Improves in concert activity. The harbingers of the crisis in Rachmaninov's Russian classical music were the poem "The Bells" (1913).

After the events of 1917, the pianist leaves with his relatives on a tour to the Scandinavian countries and does not appear in Russia again. The question of departure was predetermined. Harbingers of the crisis in the music of Rachmaninov and all Russian musical classics were the symphonic poem "The Island of the Dead", written in 1909, and a little later the poem "The Bells" for choir and orchestra. People in Russia had no time for music.

Rachmaninoff immigration

On January 1, 1918, the composer's family sailed from Norway to New York. In America, he is offered the position of chief conductor in two cities at once. But he refuses to conduct a career. For a long time, Sergei Vasilyevich did not compose anything.

During 1926–1927, such works as the 4th concerto and several Russian songs appear. Offers to perform concerts rained down from all over the world. This gave me the opportunity to write. There were many such proposals. Diligently touring, Rachmaninoff becomes the first pianist in the world. In Paris, he heads the Russian Conservatory, where he invites Russian teachers.

Abroad, Sergei Rachmaninov is even more interested in cars. He bought many different cars. In 1941, the final composition "Symphonic Dances" was created. Rachmaninoff fell ill, but continued to travel with concerts. The great composer of the 20th century died on March 28 at the age of 69. Buried near New York City.

Early years.
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born on April 1, 1873. his childhood years were spent in the Oneg estate near Novgorod. For the rest of my life, wonderful pictures of Russian nature were imprinted in my memory: the endless expanses of fields and forests, the majestic waters of the Volkhov River, with which the epic tale about the singer-guslier Sadko is connected.
The first music teacher of the future composer (he began studying at the age of four) was his mother Lyubov Petrovna. the boy made rapid progress, but, despite his outstanding musical abilities, he, along with his brother Volodya, decided to assign him to the page corps. However, the ruin of the family changed this decision. Education in the corps of pages, which was expensive, was now beyond their means. Volodya was sent to the cadet corps, and nine-year-old Seryozha was sent to the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Petersburg Conservatory.
The conditions for classes at the conservatory were unfavorable. The father left the family - mother and six children. Serezha settled with his grandmother and aunt, who took pity on him and spoiled him in every possible way. Left to his own devices, Seryozha pretty much messed around. “My grandmother,” Rachmaninov later recalled, “was very good-natured, she believed everything I told her. I received 10 kopecks a day from her for expenses and for travel to the conservatory, but I went straight to the skating rink and spent the whole morning there ". As a result, there were oftenpoor grades in general education subjects. With musical studies, things were more prosperous due to natural abilities. But there was no serious systematic work in the piano class.
Seryozha spent his summer holidays with his grandmother Sofya Alexandrovna Butakova near Novgorod, where he listened with great pleasure to the chiming of old church bells and the singing of the monastery choir. These childhood impressions were later reflected in the works of Rachmaninoff.
At the same time, the first attempts to compose music arose. these were improvisations on the piano, which Seryozha often passed off as works by famous composers.
In 1885, Rakhmaninov's cousin Alexander Ilyich Ziloti arrived in St. Petersburg. in the recent past, the favorite student of N.G. Rubinstein and F. Liszt, he, despite his youth (being only ten years older than Serezha), was already a famous pianist, taught at the Moscow Conservatory. After listening to Seryozha play the piano, Siloti suggested that his mother transfer him to the Moscow Conservatory and received consent.

Moscow Conservatory.
Siloti assigned his brother to the class of a teacher, a friend of Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Sergeevich Zverev, who took Seryozha to full board. This is what he used to do with gifted students. Zverev not only did not take money for education, but, on the contrary, he himself paid for teachers who taught boys foreign languages ​​and general subjects. he took them to the theater, to concerts. In the summer months, the pupils went with him to a dacha near Moscow, to the Crimea, to Kislovodsk.
Zverev was a demanding teacher, accustomed his students to systematic work. Strictly exacted for faults, did not tolerate lies, laziness, boasting. Lessons began at exactly six in the morning, and the one who was first on the schedule sat down at the instrument. There were no exceptions for anyone, even if the day before the students returned late from the theater or from a concert.
At first, such a harsh regime weighed on Seryozha, but gradually he got used to it and turned into an exceptionally collected, strong-willed, disciplined person.
"The best that is in me. I owe him," Rachmaninov later said about Zverev.
in 1885/86 A. Rubinstein gave his famous historical concerts in Moscow. Zverev's pupils listened to the entire cycle, and this left an indelible impression. Rachmaninov Recalled: "This is how we learned to play in Russia: Rubinstein gave his Historical Concerts .... He used to go on stage and say:" Every note of Chopin is pure gold. listen!" And he played, and we listened." Anton Grigorievich was visiting Zverev. Other interesting guests also came to Zverev: university professors, artists, actors, musicians. Tchaikovsky often visited. He immediately singled out Rachmaninoff from all the pupils, followed his musical development. An exciting event for Rachmaninoff was the exam in music theory during the transition to the senior department of the conservatory. Rachmaninov received an 5+ rating on it. Tchaikovsky helped his favorite Seryozha stage the opera Aleko at the Bolshoi Theatre. He knew from his own experience how hard it is for an aspiring musician to make his own way.
At the senior department of the Rachmaninov Conservatory, he studied free composition with Arensky, counterpoint with Taneyev, and piano with Siloti. Already at that time, everyone was amazed by the phenomenal talent of the young musician, his rare musical memory. It was enough for him to hear once a complex piece of music, for example, the first part of a symphony, in order to immediately play it. He memorized the piece by looking at the notes 3-4 times. Rachmaninoff often performed in concerts, they started talking about him as an outstanding pianist.
In 1891, Siloti left the conservatory, and Rachmaninov decided to take his final piano exams ahead of schedule, a year earlier. he learned the complex examination program in three weeks and performed it brilliantly. The next year, in 1892, he graduated from the conservatory in the composition class with a large gold medal.

Early writings.

Already at the conservatory, Rachmaninoff achieved great success in the field of composition. The works created by him in these years testify to talent, strong,deep, selfish. A true masterpiece among them was the famous Prelude in C-sharp M and Nor, composed in19 - summer age. “One day the prelude just came and I wrote it down. She came up with such force that I couldn’t get rid of her even if I tried. She had to be, and she became,” writes l Rachmaninoff.

With each new holding, the melody sounds more and more passionately. In the middle section of the prelude (Agitato) it is transformed into a rebellious-impulsive theme, striving upwards. A tense development follows, after which, in the reprise of the prelude (it is written in three-part form), the drama reaches its highest point. The bell motif, repeatedly reinforced by octaves, sounds menacing, but the second element has also lost its mournful character. In a powerful presentation of eight-chords, it is perceived as a protest, a will to act. However, the outcome of the fight is unclear. The tension subsides, the bells sound quieter, completing the prelude.

The Conservatory also wrote the First Piano Concerto in F sharp minor. This work, youthfully direct, is a remarkable success of the young composer. It clearly manifested his melodic gift.

Rachmaninov's graduation work was the opera "Aleko" based on the plot of Pushkin's poem "Gypsies". The topic for composing an opera was proposed to him and two classmates a month before the final exams. Rachmaninoff wrote the opera in 17 days! Such creative activity amazed Arensky, who exclaimed: "If you continue at such a speed ... you will be able to write twenty-four acts a year! This is so good!".

For Rachmaninoff, the plot of gypsy life was the strongest stimulus for creative inspiration. It was the gypsy nature for many artists of the past that was the personification of natural beauty, a powerful impulse to will.

With the sensitive soul of a musician, Rachmaninov caught and embodied in his youthful opera the tragic conflict between the individual's desire for freedom and the unfulfillment of this desire. The dreams of Aleko, who hoped among the gypsies living a free nomadic life, "despite the fetters of enlightenment", to find happiness, are crumbling: Zemfira and her lover perish. One of the impressive pages of the opera is Aleko's Cavatina. It becomes the expression of the main idea of ​​the work. This is a close-up psychological portrait, a lyrical confession of great strength and passion.

A decade after graduating from the conservatory (1890s).

The great success of "Aleko" at the exam, and then at the Bolshoi Theater inspired Rachmaninov. He composes a lot. The orchestral fantasy "Cliff", the First Symphony, piano pieces, romances, a spiritual concerto a cappella and other works appear. Rachmaninoff the composer becomes famous, articles are written about him.

During these years, Rachmaninov read a lot. For a long time he stood in front of the paintings of Russian artists in the Tretyakov Gallery, often visited the Tretyakov House. He liked to go to the theater, especially to the Maly, where the luminaries of the Russian stage performed - Maria Yermolova, Prov Sadovsky. But life was difficult. Decisive and powerful in performance and creativity, Rachmaninoff was by nature a vulnerable person, often experiencing self-doubt. Interfere with worldly disorder, loneliness, wandering but in strange corners, material difficulties.

The sudden death of Tchaikovsky on October 25, 1893 became a strong emotional shock for Rachmaninov. Under the tragic impression, Rachmaninoff wrote the trio "In Memory of the Great Artist" for violin, cello and piano.

The first symphony, performed in St. Petersburg under the direction of Glazunov, was not successful, and Rachmaninov was very upset by this event. He returned to Moscow gloomy, upset. He lost faith in himself, in his talent, began to doubt the correctness of the chosen life path. For several years he did not compose anything, only performed in concerts, however, always with the same success. His financial situation was getting worse. But then, unexpectedly, Rachmaninov received an invitation from the famous philanthropist S. I. Mamontov to take the position of conductor in his opera house. The season spent in it was of great importance for the composer. He thoroughly studied the scores of many operas, gained experience as a conductor, got acquainted with the outstanding artists who designed the performances - Vasnetsov, Polenov, Serov, Vrubel, Korovin. A strong friendship began between Rachmaninov and Chaliapin, who was then working at the Mamontov Theater. Both musicians often performed together. According to a contemporary, "these two giants, captivating one another, literally worked miracles."

Rachmaninoff visited Leo Tolstoy, from whom he always found moral support. He developed friendly relations with Chekhov and Bunin, with the artists of the Art Theater.

In 1899, Rachmaninoff performed abroad for the first time (in London), and the next year he visited Italy. A joyous event for him was the production of "Aleko" in St. Petersburg on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pushkin with Chaliapin as Aleko. Thus, an internal turning point was gradually prepared, and in the early 1900s Rachmaninoff returned to creativity.

Years of creative maturity (1900-1917).

The 20th century began in the life of the composer with the Second Piano Concerto, which sounded like a mighty alarm. Contemporaries heard in him the voice of the New Age - tense, explosive, with a premonition of future changes. The success of the concerto, first fully performed in 1901 in Moscow, was enormous. He inspired Rachmaninov, caused an unprecedented creative upsurge. "I study all day long and burn in the fire," Rachmaninoff says in one of his letters. One after another, the cantata "Spring", preludes, romances, the Second Symphony appear. For this symphony, as well as for the Second Concerto, Rachmaninov was awarded the Glinka Prize. In 1909, the Third Piano Concerto was written - one of Rachmaninov's outstanding creations.

There is a lot of ardent enthusiasm and enthusiasm in the music of this time. But there are other sentiments as well. Reflections on life and death give rise to the tragic images of the First Piano Sonata, inspired by the tragedy "Faust" by Goethe; symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead" based on a painting by the Swiss artist L. Böcklin. Over time, these sentiments deepen. Difficult times, revolutionary upheavals, the First World War that began in 1914, the heavy losses suffered by Russian art, give rise to a feeling of an impending catastrophe. Aggressive images, gloomy, depressed moods appear more and more often in Rachmaninov's music (for example, in certain parts of the vocal-symphonic poem "The Bells" to poems by Edgar Allan Poe, in a number of romances, in "Etudes-Pictures" op. 39). However, creating such works, Rachmaninoff found the strength to overcome these moods. For him, Russian spiritual music, beloved since childhood, becomes the personification of eternal beauty. In 1910 he wrote "The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom", and in 1915 - "The All-Night Vigil" for the choir a cappella.

During these years, Rachmaninov combined intensive creativity with no less intensive concert - pianistic and conductor - activities. For some time he worked at the Bolshoi Theater and left a memory of the wonderful productions of Russian operas. This work inspired the composer to create two one-act operas - Francesca da Rimini (based on Dante's Divine Comedy) and The Miserly Knight (based on Pushkin's "little tragedy"). They were staged at the Bolshoi Theater and were a success.

In addition, Rachmaninoff took part in the Russian Historical Concerts organized by Diaghilev in Paris. At one time he directed the Philharmonic concerts in Moscow. He traveled with concerts to many European countries, toured in America, where his performances were held in triumph.

But Rachmaninov was much more willing to speak to the Russian public. During the First World War, he gave many concerts in different cities of Russia. He gave half of the fees from them for charitable purposes, for the needs of the Russian army.

Rachmaninov was a sympathetic person. Outwardly severe, however, he was always ready to help. He loved his children very much. "I have two daughters ... their names are Irina and Tatyana or Bob and Tasinka. These are two naughty, rebellious, ill-mannered - but sweet and interesting girls. I love them terribly! The most precious thing in my life! And bright!"

Rachmaninov was fond of sports, in the summer he went horseback riding, in the winter he went skating. Shortly before the start of the war, he bought a car that he drove himself. "When the work is done beyond my strength, I get into the car and fly about fifty miles away, to the open space, to the high road. I breathe in the air and bless freedom and blue skies."

Rachmaninoff loved his estate Ivanovka in the Tambov province. Here his best works were created. “He loved the Russian land, the village, the peasant, he loved to be in charge of the land, he himself took a scythe in the summer, he hated quinoa and other weeds as a personal enemy, and he often told me for hours how good the village was,” recalled the famous writer Marietta Shaginyan.

Rachmaninov abroad. Latest works. 1917 was a turning point in the fate of Rachmaninoff and his family. He met the February revolution with joy, the October revolution forced him to leave Russia forever. The main reasons were fears for the fate of the family, the feeling of being useless to the new society.

In December 1917, Rachmaninov and his family left for Sweden. He gives concerts in the Scandinavian countries and then moves to the USA. An exhausting concert activity began, first in America, then throughout Europe, subject to the harsh laws of the music business. The number of performances was enormous: in the 1919/20 season alone, he gave 69 concerts. World celebrities performed with him: violinist Jascha Heifetz, cellist Pablo Casals, conductors Leopold Stokowski, Arturo Toscani, Eugene Ormandi, Bruno Walter. His concerts were held in crowded halls, portraits did not leave the pages of American newspapers. He was recognized by sellers, taxi drivers, porters, pursued by an army of correspondents and photojournalists. But the triumph of Rachmaninoff as a performer could not drown out in him a passionate longing for the fatherland. Even the circle of close friends abroad was limited mainly to people from Russia. Rachmaninov used a significant part of his fees for material support of compatriots both abroad and at home.

Sergei Rachmaninoff is a famous Russian composer, born in 1873 in the Novgorod province.

From early childhood, Sergei was fond of music, so it was decided to send him to study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the piano department. In addition, he studied at the Zverev boarding house, as well as at the Moscow Conservatory.

After graduation, Rachmaninoff began teaching at the Mariinsky School, and then became a conductor in the Russian opera.

At the beginning of his musical activity, he failed, and true recognition came in 1901. At this time, he creates his famous Second and Third Piano Concertos, the Second Symphony.

Often Rachmaninoff visited England, where he also performed as a pianist and conductor.

In 1917 he went to Scandinavia on tour. He never returned to Russia. He managed to achieve great success in the USA, where he composed little, mostly touring. His great work "Symphonic Dances" was created only in 1941.

During the Second World War, Sergei Rachmaninov tried to help his compatriots by sending home all the funds raised at charity concerts.

After a protracted illness in 1943, the musician passed away.

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