By Brian Robin
The Music of Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s music is known for its complexity and the rich melodies that take audiences on a journey of soaring, expansive emotions. He is recognized as one of the greatest pianists in history. His various piano concertos bear testament to a mastery and knowledge of that instrument’s nuances that puts him among the greatest artists in classical music.
Hershey Felder’s newest musical play, Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, will take audiences on the soaring emotional journey found in Rachmaninoff’s works—while inviting audiences into the complex mind and expansive story behind those works.
He didn’t have that one distinctive piece that makes a connection to his music easy, such as Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5,” Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” or Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.”
Rachmaninoff’s signature piece, his “Piano Concerto No. 2,” is considered the greatest piano concerto ever written—an intense display of piano virtuosity that illustrates the composer’s depth and breadth better than anything in his repertoire. But outside of classical music aficionados, it’s main claim to fame is finding its way into a 1970s pop-music staple, Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself.” Carmen borrowed more from Rachmaninoff, helping himself to the Adagio movement of his 2nd> Symphony for the melody of “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again.”
Hollywood also helped itself to “Piano Concerto No. 2,” featuring parts of it in Brief Encounter, The Seven Year Itch and Spiderman 3. Movements from it have found their way into the recording repertoires of everyone from Frank Sinatra to Sarah Vaughn to Bob Dylan.
Then, there’s his “Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor,” which Classic FM described as possessing “one of the most sublime melodies of any piano concerto ever written in its first movement.” It’s also considered one of the most difficult pieces of classic music to perform, so difficult that The Washington Post called it “40 minutes of finger-twisting madness.” The 1986 movie Shine tells the true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott, who was driven to madness trying to master “Rach 3.”
Speaking of borrowing, that’s what Rachmaninoff did with another of his more recognizable works—his “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini.” The composer took the Caprice No. 24 by 18th century Italian composer and violinist Niccoló Paganini and expanded it beyond the violin to include piano and an accompanying orchestra to showcase all 24 variations.
The most recognizable of the 24 variations is the 18th, featured in the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time. It also found its way into the films Singapore Sling (1990), Groundhog Day (1993) and Ronin (1998), among others. The 18th variation was also used in the TV series “The Walking Dead” and “The Good Wife.”
The composer’s other works of note include his “Symphony No. 2,” which is considered his most brilliant symphonic piece, “The Bells,” which is a choral piece based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem and featuring tubular bells, and his dramatic, intense “Prelude in G minor.”
Felder plays many of these complex works in Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, telling you the story behind them and the man behind the music. Don’t miss your opportunity to experience Felder’s piano and storytelling virtuosity, running on the Segerstrom Stage for only 12 performances, Feb. 19-March 2.