1. Sergei Rachmaninoff

2. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873- 1943) was a Russian virtuoso pianist & composer. He is considered one of the best pianists that ever lived & a major link between the Romantic & Modern periods. He was 6’6” and his hands were so big he could play 1 ½ octaves with each hand! He is best known for his 4 piano concertos, his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, 3 symphonies, various solo piano pieces, and his Russian Orthodox liturgical work, All-Night Vigil.

3. Sergei Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff was born into a poor, aristocratic family. He met many famous Russians including Tchaikovsky & Tolstoy. He became well-known as a composer of piano and orchestra works. In 1917 he was forced to escape Russia during the Bolshivik Revolution. He moved his family to New York & began a career as a virtuoso pianist, performing in concerts non-stop & recording records of his works. He music has remained very popular since it was written, but only a limited amount of people can play it well.

4. Rachmaninoff’s Music His music was famous its brutal power, along with passionate melodies & harmonies that included dissonance. However, while other composers started using atonality and other avant-gard techniques, Rachman- inoff ‘s music remained Romantic. Rachmaninoff’s music is considered very difficult both technically and emotionally to play right. Some of the strong influences heard in his music include the church bells and traditional Orthodox church chant he heard in Moscow.

5. Famous Musical Works Prelude in C# Minor – http://youtu.be/3IlDxUyQVB0 http://youtu.be/3IlDxUyQVB0 Rachmaninoff’s 3 rd Piano Concerto (Rach 3) – Beginning: http://youtu.be/_PKLLS0uO7U?t=24shttp://youtu.be/_PKLLS0uO7U?t=24s – Highlights: http://youtu.be/ATrltKaxPbchttp://youtu.be/ATrltKaxPbc “Bogoroditse Devo” from All Night Vigil – http://youtu.be/rKz5euH8rcA http://youtu.be/rKz5euH8rcA