Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings

by Max Harrison

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) is now widely regarded as one of the greatest 20th-century composers and pianists.  In this illuminating and accessible biography, Max Harrison covers the span of Rachmaninoff's life, taking in his career as composer, pianist and conductor, offering full analyses of his scores and a uniquely detailed treatment of his 1919-1942 recordings.  A fascinating account of the man, his life and work, this book sheds much new light on its subject and the ways that Rachmaninoff was viewed during his own time and beyond.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2005

Reviews

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose that it's rather odd that I didn't read this book because I was particularly interested in Rachmaninoff; rather, I chose it because Max Harrison is my favorite music writer. Almost everything I've read by Harrison combines a high level of musical insight with excellent writing. Rachmaninoff is no exception.

And it's not entirely true that I was not interested in Rachmaninoff. I knew his reputation as one of history's great pianists, and have long enjoyed some of the vintage recordings he made. But I also bought into a common view of his compositions: that they are overwrought and old-fashioned for their time. It's true that Rachmaninoff was never on the cutting edge of musical language and development, but neither were Bach or King Oliver, to cite two other musicians who were considered old-fashioned at the time they were producing their best work.

And as Harrison makes clear, the Russian composer combined those romantic tendencies and soaring melodies with careful construction and imaginative orchestration. The writer also details Rachmaninoff's lifelong growth as a composer, culminating in the magnificent Symphonic Dances from 1940.

Harrison's book combines biography with music analysis and discussions of Rachmaninoff's recordings. If the writing is sometimes dense, it's because there is a lot of information presented in 400 pages. I suspect that this will be considered the definitive book on Rachmaninoff for many years.

[Becky Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this composer to death; he's been my role model ever since grad school days. I've written papers about him numerous times, and I love his breath-taking 2nd Piano Concerto in C Minor~

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough going so far, extraordinarily dry with extraneous detail. I will re-rate when more finished with it; hopefully it improves!