Sergei Rachmaninoff.

On a large estate near Novgorod, Russia, Sergei Rachmaninoff was born on April 1, 1873, the fourth of six children in a noble family. His mother Lyubov Petrovna Butakova gave him his first piano lessons at age four. He continued his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory before transferring to the Moscow Conservatory, where he worked with Anton Arensky, Sergei Taneyev, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He graduated in 1892, winning the Great Gold Medal for his opera Aleko.

Rachmaninoff grew up on the family estate, surrounded by music. His father Vasily Arkadyevich Rachmaninoff was a nobleman, but the family later faced financial decline.

The disastrous premiere of his 1st Symphony in 1897, poorly conducted by Alexander Glazunov, plunged Rachmaninoff into a severe depression and a three-year creative block. He sought help from hypnotherapist Dr. Dahl in 1900, and upon recovery composed his breakthrough 2nd Piano Concerto in 1901, which remains one of his most popular works.

From 1904 to 1906 he served as a conductor at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. From 1906 to 1909 he lived in Dresden, where he composed his 2nd Symphony. In 1909 he made his first US tour, debuting his 3rd Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Gustav Mahler.

He wrote the choral symphony The Bells in 1913, based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, and the All-Night Vigil in 1915. The Russian Revolution of 1917 forced him to flee; on December 23, 1917, he left Russia on an open sledge with only sheet music.

In America, he established himself as a concert pianist, giving over 1,000 concerts between 1918 and 1943. He recorded all his piano concertos with himself as soloist. In 1934 he composed the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini at his Swiss villa Senar. He also performed works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky.

Rachmaninoff married Natalia Alexandrovna Satin in 1902, and they had two daughters: Irene Sergievna and Tatiana. The family fled Russia after the Revolution and eventually settled in the United States. In 1932, Rachmaninoff built a villa named Senar on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, replicating the layout of his lost Russian estate. He owned two Steinway concert grand pianos at his Beverly Hills home and often entertained friends including Vladimir Horowitz.

He loved fast cars and bought a new one every year starting in 1914. He was generous, donating $5,000 to Igor Sikorsky for helicopter development, funding Vladimir Nabokov’s move to New York, and sponsoring Michael Chekhov’s introduction to Hollywood. Rachmaninoff became a US citizen in February 1943, just weeks before his death.

He died on March 28, 1943, at his Beverly Hills home due to complications from pneumonia and pleurisy. His last recital in February 1943 featured Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, which includes the Funeral March.

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s influence extends beyond classical music. Eric Carmen’s song All By Myself 1975 borrows a melody from his 2nd Piano Concerto, and Never Gonna Fall in Love Again uses his 2nd Symphony. His technical perfection and large hands, capable of spanning a twelfth, set a standard for pianists.

He received the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal. In 2021, his Swiss villa Senar was approved for purchase by the Luzern Canton to become a historic site. His music remains a regular feature in concert halls worldwide.