Sergei Rachmaninoff
1873-1943 · Russian (Semyonovo/New York) · Late Romanticism
Known for: Piano virtuoso whose concertos and rhapsodies are among the most beloved works in the repertoire
Rachmaninoff had famously enormous hands that could span a 13th on the piano. His First Symphony's disastrous premiere triggered three years of creative paralysis cured only by hypnotherapy. He fled Russia after 1917 and never returned, homesick for the rest of his life.
He was one of the greatest pianists ever recorded and maintained a brutal touring schedule. He was quietly generous, deeply nostalgic, and one of the last great Romantic composer-pianists.
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