Rachmaninov: Complete Operas, Cantatas & Fragments

Różni wykonawcy

PH 21036

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born on 20 March 1873 Old Style (1 April New Style) at the Semyonovo estate in the Novgorod district. As is common when transcribing Slavic names from Cyrillic, the spelling of his name varies and is also written, for example, as Rachmaninov. He himself transcribed his name as Rachmaninoff, which is why it is written this way in the following.

Today in this country he is known most of all as a great pianist and composer of piano works. His piano concertos, especially the second, and his Paganini Variations are among the most popular works in their respective genres. Orchestral works, too, such as the Second Symphony, the symphonic poem lsle of the Dead or the Symphonic Dances are still frequently heard in concerts and on recordings.

Less well known is that Rachmaninov also composed operas, songs and sacred vocal works, even if some specialists are well aware of this. Perhaps the Russian language was an obstacle to gaining a wider audience, but at least Rachmaninoff is no longer ignored as an opera composer.

The popularity of the operas by his fellow countrymen Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881, see also Profil Edition Günter Hänssler PH21002), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1910, PH19010) or Peter Tchaikovsky (1840–1893, PH17053) was never and will probably never be achieved by Rachmaninoff’s works for the lyric stage. Nor will the other composers from the country of his birth – see the overview of Russian operas in PH19040

CD x 15

Profil Medien

02.03.22

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