Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)
Composer of the Week31 Mar 2023

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)

150 years ago this week, Sergei Rachmaninov was born: one of the finest pianists of his generation, touring the world in the 1920s and 30s as a musical megastar. Composing had been his real passion since childhood, and towards the end of his time in Russia before the Revolution, it was farming. Though St Petersburg and then Moscow was his base for much of his early life, it was Ivanovka – a country estate deep in the Russian countryside - that formed him. The house and the land surrounding it were a major source of his creative inspiration until his last visit in 1917. Donald Macleod explores how important Ivanovka was to Rachmaninov, and how he carried the precious memory of it with him when he left it behind for a life of exile.

Music Featured:

Lilacs op 21, No 5, ‘Siren’ Piano Concerto No. 1 (mvt 1) Dances from Aleko Cello Sonata in G minor (mvt 1) Vesna Symphony No 2 (Mvt 2) Songs Op 34, No 12 Piano Concerto No 3 (Mvt 1) All-Night Vigil (Excerpt) Piano Concerto No 2 (Mvt 1) Etudes-Tableaux Op 39, No 6 The Bells (Mvt 2) Prelude Op 3, No 2 Three Russian Songs Symphony No 3 (Mvt 2) Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Excerpt) Isle of the Dead Symphonic Dances (Mvt III) Suite No 2 for Two Pianos (Mvt IV) The Bells op.35 (Mvt IV)

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Megan Jones

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k8ck

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Episoder(655)

Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet live from Cardiff

Anniversary Special: A Welsh Quintet live from Cardiff

Donald Macleod celebrates 80 years of "Composer of the Week" with a concert of music by Grace Williams and Hilary Tann, curated by Welsh music historian Rhian Davies, and performed by the BBC Singers ...

29 Sep 202327min

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)

Donald Macleod surveys the life of Girolamo Frescobaldi and the musical spectacle of RomeGirolamo Frescobaldi established the keyboard style that would dominate Europe in the Baroque era. His life thr...

22 Sep 20231h 16min

Carlos Chávez (1899-1978)

Carlos Chávez (1899-1978)

Donald Macleod is joined by Odaline de la Martinez to explore the life and music of Carlos ChavezCarlos Chávez was both a rebel and an educator. Born in a Mexico on the brink of revolution, he would g...

15 Sep 20231h 13min

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Kate Molleson shares stories of Handel’s music at summer soirees across the British Isles When he arrived in London in 1712, German-born George Frideric Handel was already one of Europe’s most excitin...

8 Sep 202359min

Icons of British Light Music

Icons of British Light Music

Donald Macleod explores how the rise and fall of Light Music in BritainThe names of the composers of British Light Music - Coates, Ketèlby, Farnon, Dring or Tomlinson - might not be as well known as t...

1 Sep 20231h 2min

Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 2

Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 2

Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviewsComposer of the Week is one of the longest-running strands on the BBC, first heard on the airwave...

4 Aug 20231h 5min

Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 1

Anniversary Special: Composers in Conversation - Part 1

Donald Macleod celebrates the programme’s 80th anniversary with highlights from 10 memorable interviewsComposer of the Week is one of the longest-running strands on the BBC, first heard on the airwave...

4 Aug 20231h 2min

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)

Kate Molleson explores the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine TailleferreKate Molleson revels in the spry and subtly surprising music of Germaine Tailleferre, with guests Barbara Kelly and C...

28 Jul 20231h 20min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
enkel-servering
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
tusvik-tnne
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
konspirasjonspodden
kjendiscrush-med-sofie-karlstad
hovla
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
nare-venner
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
feedback-med-egon-holstad
christine-dancke
rss-gammal-maiden
filmfrelst