You may recognise ‘All By Myself’ from a Rachmaninov concerto – but the great piano work also gave rise to another iconic pop song, recorded by two of the biggest names in music. Rachmaninov sparked ...

The premiere performances of musical masterpieces have often fallen foul of the critics. Few composers have been as badly affected by the experience as Sergei Rachmaninov, as Martin Buzacott explains.

Sergei Rachmaninov was born 150 years ago this April 1st. The great Russian composer is being celebrated with musical events around the world, including in Ireland. Here, four people involved in ...

One of today’s most beloved composers, Rachmaninov battled against public criticism and private insecurities to win favour for his romantic works. What does the name Sergei Rachmaninov conjure up?

Rachmaninov was one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known, and the music he wrote for the instrument is passionate, sensual and thrilling. His Second Piano Concerto was life-changing, ...

Although Sergei Rachmaninov was one of the most successful 20th century composers, he has been snubbed by some musical elitists, even historians. One famous music history book devotes a mere seven ...

The transition in critical estimates of Rachmaninov from ‘salon’ (or, worse still, ‘popular’) to ‘serious’ has been slow. Today, the 1927 edition of Grove claiming that he is ‘too cosmopolitan in ...

These concertos span Rachmaninov's career, from his farewell to Russia (the piano concerto No 1 of 1891) to his uneasy exile in the new world, where he encountered 1920s jazz and big bands but wrote ...

Silver Sleigh Bells (Allegro ma non tanto) Mellow Wedding Bells (Lento) Loud Alarum Bells (Presto) Mournful Iron Bells (Lento lugubre) The Bells is clearly the next step on that symphonic path not ...

[Horowitz plays Rachmaninov's Prelude Op. 32 No. 12] He had, you know, very close relations spiritually and personally with Rachmaninov. For example, one of the stories that Horowitz used to tell me, ...

In outline, Rachmaninov’s 24 Preludes, the Op. 23 and 32 sets plus the famous C Sharp Minor, follow on from the examples of Bach and Chopin. These, though, are truly virtuoso pieces, a high-point of ...

Listening to these two concertos is like flying by the seat of your pants. Khatia Buniatishvili has acquired a reputation as a young pianist of fire and brilliance, and she does not disappoint in ...