Episode 4
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): 4/5. Donald Macleod explores Rachmaninov's friendship with Russian bass Fyodor Chaliapin, and the composer's first concert tour of America.
In this week's edition of Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Sergei Rachmaninov.
Thursday's programme looks at Rachmaninov's life-long friendship with the famous Russian bass Fyodor Chaliapin, and sees the composer on his first concert tour of America, where he performed his specially-written 3rd Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by their new Music Director, Gustav Mahler. Back in Russia, Rachmaninov, evidently a bit of a speed-freak, bought a new car, a Loreley, but he would only have a few years to enjoy it -it was destined, perhaps, to become the proud possession of some Bolshevik bigwig. Donald Macleod introduces extracts from three of the last works Rachmaninov composed on Russian soil.
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Music Played
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Sergey Rachmaninov
'In the Soul of Each of Us' - no. 2 of 14 Songs, op.34 (1912)
Performer: Sergei Leiferkus (bass) / Howard Shelley (pno)
- Chandos CHAN 9477,.
- 3.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto no.3 in d minor, op.30 (1909) - mvt 1
Performer: Allegro ma non tanto Performer: Earl Wild (pno) / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Jascha Horenstein (cond)
- Chandon CHAN 8521/2,.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
'Dissonance' - no. 13 of 14 Songs, op.34 (1912)
Performer: Joan Rodgers (sop) / Howard Shelley (pno)
- Chandos CHAN 9477,.
- 14.
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Rachmaninov
Magnificat from Vespers, op.37 (1915)
Performer: St Petersburg Chamber Choir / Nikolai Korniev (cond)
- Philips 442 344-2,.
- 11.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Études-Tableaux, op.39 (1916) - nos 1, 2, 5 and 6
Performer: Rustem Hayroudinoff (pno)
- Chandos CHAN 10391,.
Broadcasts
- Thu 5 Feb 200912:00BBC Radio 3
- Thu 5 Feb 200922:00BBC Radio 3
- Thu 7 Apr 201112:00BBC Radio 3
- Thu 7 Apr 201122:00BBC Radio 3
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