Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in Full Score

by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Just as Serge Rachmaninoff's piano virtuosity ranked him among the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, his compositions for piano and orchestra won him an important position among modern composers. Among the works that ensure his reputation are the first three piano concertos, reprinted here from the authoritative full-score Russian editions.
Rachmaninoff wrote the stirring Piano Concerto No. 1 in the years 1890–91, while he was still a young student at the Moscow Conservatory, and revised it nearly three decades later in 1917, when he began to devote his life mainly to his international career as a piano virtuoso. The immense and enduring success of the Piano Concerto No. 2, completed in 1901, has made this romantic work one of the most performed and recorded in the concerto literature and one of the most familiar compositions in all of music. The powerful and expressive Piano Concerto No. 3 was composed for a concert tour of America, during which Rachmaninoff appeared with great success as composer, pianist, and conductor. Like the first two concertos, it remains a repertoire favorite in concert halls around the world.
All three acclaimed works are reprinted in this finely made yet remarkably inexpensive Dover edition. Musicians and music lovers will find it a convenient single-volume source from which to study intimately three major works of the twentieth century.

Genres: Music

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1 April 1873- 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor.

“Sergei Rachmaninoff” was the spelling the composer himself used- and Rachmaninoff is the last name his parents also used before the Soviet’s russification efforts- including when he became a United States citizen. However, alternative transliterations of his name include Sergey or Serge, and Rachmaninov, Rakhmaninoff.

Rachmaninoff was born in 1873 in Semyonovo, near Novgorod, in north-western Russia. He was born into a noble family of Tatar descent, who had been in the service of the Russian tsars since the 16th century. His parents were both amateur pianists.

Rachmaninov is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. He had legendary technical facilities and rhythmic drive, and his large hands were able to cover the interval of a thirteenth on the keyboard (a hand span of approximately twelve inches). His large handspan roughly corresponded with his height; Rachmaninov was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98m) tall according to sources. He also had the ability to play complex compositions upon first hearing. Many recordings were made by the Victor Talking Machine Company recording label of Rachmaninov’s performing his own music, as well as works from the standard repertory.