Sergei Rachmaninov is a treasure of Russia. A talented musician, conductor and composer created his own unique style of sounding classical works. Rachmaninov can be treated differently. But no one will dispute the fact that he made a significant contribution to the development of classical music.
Childhood and youth of the composer
The famous composer was born in the small estate of Semyonovo. However, Rachmaninov spent his childhood and youth in Onega. Sergey remembered his childhood with special warmth.
Sergey had every chance to become a famous musician. The fact is that his father sang well and played several musical instruments at once. And grandfather (on the paternal side) was a court musician. It is not surprising that classical music often sounded in the Rachmaninoffs' house.
Rachmaninov Jr. absorbed musical notation from his youth. First, the mother was engaged with the boy, and then a professional teacher. At the age of 9, Sergei entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory. It was a serious step that helped Rachmaninov finally decide on his future profession.
Having left his home at such an early age, little Seryozha succumbed to temptation. Music lessons faded into the background, he began to skip classes. Soon the rector invited Rachmaninov Sr. for a conversation and advised him to transfer his son to a private boarding school for musically gifted children, which was located in Moscow. It was a great option for a recalcitrant guy. In the boarding house, the students were observed. There was a regime and strict rules. The guys studied music for 6 hours a day. And after exhausting classes, they visited the Philharmonic and the Opera House.
Rachmaninoff had a very complex character. A few years later, he quarreled with his mentor and decided to leave his studies forever. It was said that the teacher provided Sergei with housing in his own house, but Rachmaninov wanted better conditions. The quarrel took place at the household level.
Sergey remained to live in the capital with close relatives. Soon he again entered the conservatory, this time in the senior department. He graduated from the educational institution with a gold medal. He graduated as a pianist and composer.
The work of the musician Sergei Rachmaninov
After graduation, Sergey got a job as a teacher. He taught young ladies to play the piano at women's institutes. In this work, Rachmaninov was attracted by only one thing - the opportunity to communicate with the fairer sex. He frankly disliked teaching. Later he worked as a conductor at the Bolshoi Theater in the capital. He also led the orchestra when they staged performances from the Russian repertoire.
It is noteworthy, but when performances from the foreign repertoire were staged, the foreigner I.K. Altani was responsible for them. After the October Revolution, the maestro decided to leave his homeland. He was offered to play a concert in Stockholm. After a brilliant performance, he was in no hurry to return to Russia.
When Rachmaninov agreed to hold a concert in Stockholm and spoke about his intention to become a citizen of another country, he was deprived of money and real estate. But Sergei was not very upset. Having played many concerts, he enriched himself and brought his family to a whole new level.
The creative path of the composer Sergei Rachmaninov
Even while studying at the conservatory, Rachmaninoff already had a certain authority in elite circles. But popularity did not go beyond the capital of Russia. Then he presented the first piano concerto, the prelude in C-sharp minor and many soul-piercing romances.
The maestro's composing career, which had a great start, soon came to a halt. The fact is that Symphony No. 1 turned out to be a “failure”. After her presentation, many critics doubted Rachmaninoff's talent.
Sergei had a hard time going through a difficult period. After the failure, he became depressed. The maestro did not create for more than three years - he just lay on the couch and refused to write new compositions.
In 1901, the composer turned to a doctor for help, and he put him on his feet. After that, the maestro presented the work "Second Piano Concerto". Today, many call the presented work the composer's calling card.
Then the composer presented the symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead", "Symphony No. 2" and "Piano Sonata No. 2". In the presented musical works, Rachmaninov revealed his talent as a composer.
After moving abroad, Sergei did not present bright new products for a long time. Ten years later, the maestro presented the Piano Concerto No. 10 and several Russian compositions.
He spent the last years of his life as actively as possible. The composer presented several brilliant compositions at once. We are talking about the works "Symphony No. 3", "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra" and "Symphonic Dances". The presented compositions topped the peaks of world classical music.
Details of privacy
Sergei Rachmaninov was a passionate and amorous man. Thanks to his innate temperament, he was constantly in the center of female attention. The composer was surrounded by beauties, and it was he who had the right to choose.
He was underage when he met the Skalon sisters. Sergei began to show genuine interest in one of the sisters - Vera. Rachmaninov paid attention to her, he was gentle and courteous with a young girl. There was a platonic relationship between the lovers. To the dizzying beauty Vera Skalon, he dedicated the composition “In the Silence of the Secret Night”.
After returning to Moscow, the maestro wrote Vera a hundred love letters. He filled up Scalon with a manuscript with ardent declarations of love. The passion that Rachmaninoff had in his soul did not prevent him from falling in love with the wife of his friend, Anna Lodyzhenskaya. He even dedicated the romance “Oh no, I beg you, don’t leave!” to the woman. Interest in Anya and Vera soon declined.
Natalya Alexandrovna Satina is the first and last official wife of the famous maestro. She was the daughter of relatives who sheltered Sergei while studying at the Moscow Conservatory. He dedicated the romance “Do not sing, beauty, with me” to his wife. The woman gave Sergei two daughters.
New romance
Rachmaninoff was a creative person, constantly in search of new emotions. Soon he had an affair with Nina Kosits. Especially for the woman, the maestro wrote a number of vocal parts. After Sergei left his homeland, he could only be seen in company with his official wife.
After emigration, the Russian composer spent most of his time in the United States of America. But this did not prevent him from building a luxurious villa "Senar" in Switzerland.
It was in this villa that Rachmaninoff was able to enjoy his old passion - technology. The house had an elevator, a small railway and a novelty of that time - a vacuum cleaner. There were several elite vehicles in the composer's garage.
Sergei strove for luxury and did not hide the fact that he loves a rich life and all its advantages. Rachmaninoff provided his daughters and subsequent heirs with a good life.
Despite moving to another country, Rachmaninoff remained a patriot of Russia. Russian servants worked in his house, he surrounded himself with Russian emigrants. And on his shelf were books in his native language. He did not return to his homeland for only one reason - Sergei did not recognize Soviet power.
Interesting facts about the composer Sergei Rachmaninov
- While studying at the conservatory, Tchaikovsky gave Rachmaninov the highest mark for his brilliant harmonica playing.
- All pianists spoke about the unprecedented size of Rachmaninov's hands, thanks to which he was able to play the most complex chords.
- In recent years, Rachmaninoff was haunted by the fear of death. Most likely, fear appeared against the backdrop of a grueling tour. In a month he could give up to 50 concerts. His mental health deteriorated slightly.
- He married a cousin.
- During his performances, Rachmaninoff demanded silence from the audience. His audience did not abide by this rule, and he could pause the concert and leave the stage.
last years of life
Rachmaninov spent his whole life not only writing chic works, but also smoking. He smoked a lot and often. The addiction caused melanoma in the maestro. The composer learned about the disease 1,5 months before his death. He died on March 28, 1943.
