Rachmaninoff, Sergei

Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3 - Acoustic Reality Experience [HD DVD]

THIS HD DVD SURROUND MUSIC DISC DELIVERS AN AMAZING ACOUSTIC REALITY EXPERIENCE THROUGH ANY HD DVD PLAYER WITH AN HDMI OR OPTICAL (core only 5.1 and 6.1) OUTPUT CONNECTED OR ASSEMBLED WITH DTS-HD MA OR DTS (core only 5.1 and 6.1) CAPABLE RECIEVER THE FULL RANGE 7.1 (6.1;5.1) SURROUND SPEAKER SET-UP IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FULL PERCEPTION OF ACOUSTIC REALITY AND LOW FREQUENCY CHANNEL (LFE) THAT IS VERY CRITICAL FOR THIS RECORD. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RECORD WAS ORIGINALLY PRODUCED FOR 5.1 AND PRESENTED FOR 7.1 SURROUND SOUND REPRODUCTION TO PROVIDE YOU WITH UNIQUE ACOUSTIC REALITY EXPERIENCE.

Harvest of Sorrow - Tony Palmer's Film About Sergei Rachmaninoff

Specially commissioned performances conducted by VALERY GERGIEV with the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of The Mariinsky Theater
Chorus Master Valery Borisov

Rachmaninoff s letters and other reminiscences spoken by Sir John Gielgud.

Used in films like Brief Encounter and Shine; on TV in The South Bank Show and Panorama; on radio in Semprini Serenade; and including some of the most famous melodies of the 20th century, Rachmaninoff s romantic, passionate music is as popular today as it has ever been. This 100-minute documentary film, shot in Russia, Switzerland and America, is made with the full participation of the composer s grandson, Alexander Rachmaninoff.

Featuring soloists Mikhail Pletnev (with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, and his own Russian National Orchestra), Dmitri Hvorostovsky and young stars Valentina Igoshina, Peter Jablonski and Nikolai Putilin, the music is specially recorded with the great conductor Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg, with which Rachmaninoff was intimately associated. Tony Palmer s film, with Rachmaninoff s own words spoken by Sir John Gielgud, is a unique and loving insight into a world long gone, but definitely not forgotten.

Extracts from home movies of Sergei Rachmaninoff © Alexander Rachmaninoff used by kind permission of Alexander Rachmaninoff.

Arthur Rubinstein Plays Chopin and Rachmaninov

Great Russian Composers - Sergei Rachmaninov

These informative biographies present a revealing look into the events, people and places that influenced the creation of the composer s major works and tell the story of the impact that Russia had on the history of western music.

Sergei Rachmaninov, composer, conductor and one of the most brilliant pianists of the 20th century, was the last great figure of the tradition of Russian Romanticism.

Rachmaninov was born on April 1, 1873 near Novgorod, Russia. He was destined to become an army officer until his father lost the entire family fortune and deserted the family. Sensing his abilities, Rachmaninov's cousin sent him to Moscow for piano studies with the noted teacher Nikolay Zverev. He also attended and graduated from the Moscow Conservatory.

Rachmaninov's fame and popularity as a composer, was launched by two compositions: the Prelude in C Sharp Minor (1892) and is opera Aleko (1893). In his youth, self-doubt carried him into deep depressions, one of the most severe of which followed the failure of his Symphony No. 1 on its first performance in 1897. During this period,also brooding over an unhappy love affair, he was taken to a psychiatrist who is credited with restoring his self-confidence, thus enabling him to write the Piano Concerto No. 2.

During the next 17 years came his Symphony No. 2 (1906), the symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead (10909), the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (1910), and the choral symphony The Bells (1913). Except for a period in Dresden, Germany (1906-8) he worked mainly in Moscow.

After leaving Russia in 1917, Rachmaninov settled in the U.S. In exile he concentrated on his piano and conducting careers. He missed Russia, and this alienation had a devastating effect on his formerly prolific creative ability. His only substantial works from this period are the Symphony No. 3 (1936) and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagnini (1936). He died in Beverly Hills, Calif. on March 28, 1943.

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 In C Major; Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2/ Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

This never-before-released program on video begins with a sensational performance by Arkadi Zenziper of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor op. 18. This is followed by a commanding performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64 by the St. Petersburg State Orchestra conducted by V. Tschemuschenko. An in-depth philosophical interview with Arkadi Zenziper is included. Additional features on this DVD release are chapters for each tempo/mood change with optional display, liner notes, biographical information about the conductor, the Orchestra and Arkadi Zenziper as well as the contemporary history of the pieces performed. Audio playback options are 5.1 Dolby Digital and non-compressed stereo.

Rachmaninov: The Bells; Symphonic Dances; Symphony No. 2 [DVD Video]

Rachmaninov - The Miserly Knight / Leiferkus, Berkeley-Steele, Schagidullin, Voynarovskiy, Mikhailov, Jurowski, Glyndebourne Opera

Tchaikovsky & Rachmaninoff Piano Trios

Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 - A Naxos Musical Journey

This volume of the Naxos Musical Journey takes us outside the great cities to the majestic Ai-Petri Mountains and the rocky shore of the Black Sea; from the haunting stillness of the Russian landscape blanketed by winter to the opulent Summer Palace of Tsar Paul I; from the drama of the Swallow's Nest built on a cliff-top at Cape Ai-Todor to spectacular churches and palaces; visit Yalta and the museum home of celebrated playwright Anton Chekhov; this is the world rich in beauty and culture that inspired the musical genius of Rachmaninov. Tracks: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18; Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30.