History Music / SergeiRachmaninoff

* PatrioticFervor: His melodies are frequently based on or inspired by Russian folk tunes and the chants of the Russian Orthodox Church, and his music makes frequent references to the famous bells of Moscow (which the Prelude in C♯ minor was named after).

Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and settled in America, where he made his living as a touring pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity in the 1930s, producing several well-regarded works including one of his biggest hits, the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and settled in America, where he made his living as a touring pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity in the 1930s, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and settled in America, where he made his living as a concert pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity in the 1930s, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and settled in America, where he made his living as a concert pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity toward the end of his life, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Rachmaninoff and his family left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and settled in America, where he made his living as a busy concert pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity toward the end of his life, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Rachmaninoff left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and eventually moved to America, where he made his living as a busy concert pianist and had little time for composing. He had a final burst of creativity toward the end of his life, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Most famous for his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, as well as his piano-solo Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2. The third concerto was featured in the movie ''Film/{{Shine}}'', for what it's worth. He left Russia after [[Usefulnotes/RedOctober the 1917 revolution]] and began to make his living primarily as a concert pianist, which left him little time for composing, but he returned to composing toward the end of his life, producing several well-regarded works including the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

Most famous for his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, as well as his piano-solo Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2. The third concerto was featured in the movie ''Film/{{Shine}}'', for what it's worth.

* {{Romanticism}}: He's often considered the last of the Romantics, and was sometimes considered anachronistic by amidst the newer wave of modernist and atonal composers by critics.

* {{Romanticism}}: He's often considered the last of the Romantics and was sometimes considered anachronistic by amidst the newer wave of modernist and atonal composers by critics.

Most famous for his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, as well as his piano-solo Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2. The third concerto was featured in the movie ''Film/Shine'', for what it's worth.

* DeathlyDiesIrae: Rachmaninoff was obsessed with the Dies Irae motif and worked it into many of his compositions, some of them related to death ("The Isle of the Dead") and others having nothing explicitly to do with it at all ("Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," "Symphonic Dances").
* ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals: His Etude-Tableau in C minor, Op.39 No.7 is a rare instrumental example. As their name suggests, the Etudes-Tableaux have a narrative angle, but Rachmaninoff largely shied away from specifics in the interest of allowing the performer and/or listener to write their own stories. However, when Ottorino Respighi arranged five of the pieces for orchestra, Rachmaninoff told him this étude depicts a funeral marked by "fine incident and incessant rain"; the rain begins to fall most audibly at around the halfway mark, and continues until a climax representing the pealing of church bells.

* StandardSnippet: The 18th Variation of the Paganini Rhapsody and his Prelude in C♯ minor.

* ThemeAndVariations: His famous ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin based on a theme by Paganini]]. He also wrote a set of variations on a theme of Music/FryderykChopin and on a theme of Corelli, although these are less known.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote 24 preludes for solo piano. His first, in C♯ minor, overshadowed the rest in terms of popularity, [[CreatorBacklash much to the consternation of the composer, who considered it the weakest of the set]].

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Rachmaninoff's first symphony was a complete critical failure and flopped so hard on its first (and only, during Rachmaninoff's lifetime) performance in 1897 that it almost destroyed Rachmaninoff's career, launching him into a severe depression during which he composed almost no music for over three years. When he finally started composing again in 1900, he started with his Second Piano Concerto, which is now one of the most famous pieces of music in the entire repertoire. He also wrote a second symphony in 1906-1907 which met much greater success than his first.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote 24 preludes for solo piano. His first, in C♯ minor, overshadowed the rest in terms of popularity, [[BlackSheepHit much to the consternation of the composer, who considered it the weakest of the set]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote 24 preludes for solo piano. His first, in C♯ minor, overshadowed the rest in terms of popularity, [[CreatorBacklash much to the consternation of the composer, who considered it the weakest of the set.]]