Book Description
When Bertensson and Leyda's 1956 biography appeared, it lifted the veil of secrecy from several areas of of the intensely private Sergei Rachmaninoff's (1873-1943) life, especially concerning the genesis of his compositions and how their critical reception affected him. David Cannata's new introduction summarizes what has happened in Rachmaninoff scholarship since the book was first published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This book is excellent
I found this book extremely helpful and a joy to read. I have used it as a resource for a Rachmaninoff class that i am creating and also for my own pleasure. It spans through Rachmaninoff's life, going in-depth to look at glimpses of Rachmaninoff's life with family, and then meticulously explores his music career.It looks into what inspired him, his meetings with other famous composers, his performances, and includes many letters about his personal life that he wrote to his family and friends. Overall, an excellent look into the life of a composer about whom we do not know much.

A must-have for any Rachmaninoff lover.
This book is very thouroughly written, drawing on resources of Rachmaninoff's relatives, letters that Rachmaninoff himself wrote, and of personal interactions.It gives a glimpse into Rachmaninoff's private life, which very little is known about, and shows Rachmaninoff for the true musical genius that he is. ... Read more

Book Description
Performed by Nancy Green, violoncello Accompaniment: Frederick Moyer, pianoRachmaninov's most famous chamber composition is finally available as an MMO edition. Featuring a new, annotated urtext score edited by Nancy Green, this classic of the Romantic literature for violoncello is something no cellist will want to be without! Listen to Ms. Green's masterful rendition for study purposes, then perform it yourself with Frederick Moyer as your partner on piano!Includes an expansive, newly engraved and annotated 'urtext' music book printed on high-quality ivory paper with performance suggestions and two compact discs featuring a reference recording of the complete sonata with cellist and pianist; then given again with accompaniment alone minus you, the soloist; and a special -20% slow-tempo version of the accompaniment to help you get up to speed as you learn the piece. ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of advanced piano solos by Sergei Rachmaninoff. ... Read more

Book Description
Transcriptions is Volume Seven of THE PIANO WORKS OF RACHMANINOFF. A URTEXT edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The most efficient way to sing in Russian
I had no idea where to begin when I began working on my Rachmaninoff song. Then, I found this book and it did wonders for me. It is clearly the most complete and best organized guide to pronouncing Russian.I recommend itfor anyone who is interested in singing in Russian.It is a little costlyif you are only doing a few songs, but the trouble, frustration and anguishit will save you is well worth it.

A must for the serious vocalist
I am a music student in college, and this book was a Godsend for me when I found a Rachmaninoff song I wanted to sing.Not many musicians in the US know Russian and this book made pronounciation very easy.The word forword translation was also very important.I think all college musiclibraries should have this book. ... Read more

Book Description
One of the most played piano pieces and Sergei Rachmaninoff's most recognizable. A duet for two pianos/four hands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2
Rachmaninoff is a must for an aspiring pianist. Especially, the second piano concerto which is one of his famous if not the most famous pieces. I would suggest going out and reading some background information onRachmaninoff before trying to interpret the piece. ... Read more

Book Description
Demands from pianists after seeing the movie Shine have brought this excepted piano solo version of the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto to life. This arrangement is for advanced duet (two pianos/four hands). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Quite possibly the hardest piano music ever written - but well worth it
I bought this piece of sheet music after my teacher recommended it as a 'good piano competition piece.' I had already worked on most of Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto (also very difficult) and the third movement of Mozart's 17th concerto.I would definitely not recommend getting this piece if you don't have a MAJOR desire to learn it as it is very difficult.However, the piece is extremely beautiful, and technically showy (which is why it is a 'good competition piece') - probably my favorite piece of sheet music at the moment.I have been playing piano for 12 years and would consider myself fairly advanced - but I still anticipate it taking at least 6-8 months to learn this piece, and that's practicing it up to and about 1 hour per day.Rachmaninoff wrote a masterpiece and it is considered today to be one of the most beautiful and difficult piano concertos, up there with Tchaikovsky's 1st.This edition has a limited amount of fingerings, but it is easily readable and not over-edited like some editions.I wholeheartedly recommend it but will warn you again not to attempt to learn it unless you have a strong desire to do so.

based on schrimer's edition
This is a great jazz etude... Rachmaninoff wrote some really cool harmonies, especially for 1910 or whatever... with polychords, minor major 7ths, dominant b13, block chords... excellent! It's a difficult read, and I still can't play it full speed, but read through this piece and you will feel confident that you can play anything.

One of the Greatest piano concertos arranged for 2 pianos.
for those of u that saw "shrine" i guess u already discovered the "magical" feeling after hearing this piece.w/ this arrangement the piece could be played by two ppl instead of w/ the orch... makes things simplier but sounds just as nice. ... Read more

Book Description
For advanced players, this is Rachmaninoff Complete Preludes, Op. 3, 23 and 32. ... Read more

Product Description
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, for advanced piano duet. ? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

My favorite piece for the piano
Many people are familiar with the 18th variation of "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini" from the movie "Somewhere in Time."It's a very romantic piece.If you familiar with the 18th variation only, youshould treat yourself to listening to all the variations played back toback in the "Rhapsody."

This book has those variations whichhave been reduced by Rachmaninoff for two pianos/four hands.I wish, ofcourse, it had been a piano solo, because I would probably get a lot moreuse out of it.

"Rhapsody" is strictly for the advanced pianist. This edition has no fingering notations which would have been helpful forall except the most advanced players.And, those players may findRachmaninoff's "Rhapsody" not as challenging or rewarding becauseof the repetition involved in its themes.However, I find"Rhapsody" very rewarding to play largely due to its romanticthemes and its capacity for expressive interpretations.The 18th variationplayed by itself is an enjoyable recital piece.I give this book myhighest recommendation. ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of advanced piano solos by Sergei Rachmaninoff. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The best of a mediocre bunch
Rachmaninoff has never had the authoritative biography that he deserves as one of the greatest composers and pianists of the last two centuries. Nor is this that definitive book. However, it is the most recent, and in many ways it supersedes all previous biographies, although there is still value in the Bertensson-Leyda and (to a lesser extent) the Martyn and Walker books.

It has some great strengths. First, it covers Rachmaninoff's life and career in some (not exhaustive) detail. Second, it discusses his entire compositional career more thoroughly and accurately than any previous book. Third, unlike some other biographies, it unashamedly defends Rachmaninoff's music and style from the foolish and ignorant criticisms that were common for much of the 20th century. Record collectors and piano aficionados will also find it valuable for its thorough discussion of Rachmaninoff's recordings as both pianist and conductor.

The book's major weakness, as with most previous biographies, lies in its analyses. Harrison offers many insights into Rachmaninoff's works, but he also repeats some of the stale and superficial clichés of Rachmaninoff criticism. For example, he finds quotations of the Dies Irae chant in dozens of pieces, when in fact Rachmaninoff only quoted the Dies Irae in four: Isle of the Dead, Paganini Rhapsody, Third Symphony, and Symphonic Dances. Themes in other works, such as the First Symphony, may resemble Dies Irae, but analysis shows clearly that they are different and are treated differently. And because Harrison clings to this shallow and inaccurate "insight," he misses some of the real strengths of Rachmaninoff's music--for instance, that the entire First Symphony is obsessively based on just two themes and one melodic turn. To be fair, no previous Rachmaninoff book has been strong in analysis. And despite these weaknesses, this is still the best that has yet appeared.

A contemporary musicologist's take on Rachmaninov's works
Max Harrison's expertise as a top-notch musicologist is used to full advantage in this masterfully-researched and written biography of Rachmaninov. Like other reviewers, I found Harrison's very detailed assessments of each of Rachmaninov's published works to be incredibly informative. Take, for example, his view that Rachmaninov was, despite popular wisdom to the contrary, an excellent composer of large-scale symphonies. That the shoddy treatment given his first symphony reflected far more the narrow-mindedness and incompetence of the conductor, orchestra, and critics than any real shortcomings in this grand and beautiful work by a young and very talented composer.

Biography on Rachmaninoff
In this biography Max Harrison reminds us that Rachmaninoff excelled as a fine composer, one of the greatest pianists in the history of an instrument that has never lacked outstanding players, and he was also a fine conductor. Yet he was basically shy and retiring, insecure and extremely self critical. His portraits show a tall serious figure, his music often demonstrating a morbid fascination with death, through recurring references to the Dies Irae. Yet his music is supremely warm and melodic, and for this Rachmaninoff was often mercilessly slated by the critics who ought to have know better as Harrison states, when analyzing the beautiful Second Symphony, "Rachmaninoff's symphonies should be assessed, not in relation to precepts derived from Beethoven and Brahms. With Rachmaninoff different types of thematic material and musical processes, of moods and feelings, are brought into varying degrees of conflict and finally resolved in ways that are personal and formally satisfying. Logically sustained argument has its role but an instinctive drama of the emotions is this music's chief thrust, its final import being the struggle between representations of the forces of life and death." Like Elgar, Rachmaninoff in the 1920s, felt himself and his music to be out of joint with the times, romanticism was out of fashion, swept away on a tide of vulgarity and atonality. Harrison offers detailed analyses of all the works and does not hesitate to shoot down critics and writers who wrote negatively about his music. Harrison's style of writing is very easy to follow for those who have difficulty comprehending technical terms in music.The book unfortunately has no pictures, but it does include a chronological list of works, an extensive bibliography, two indexes, one of the composer's works and over 50 musical examples. This is one of the best biographies available today and I think any one who reads it will have so much more appreciation for of one of the 20th century's greatest composers, first and foremost, but also Rachmaninoff should be remembered as a brilliant pianist and a fine conductor.

Rachmaninoff Revisited
Harrison's book is brilliant. Since my first exposure to Rachmaninoff's music, I have been a collector of recordings of his music, the scores, and the composer's own recordings. Having read just about everything written about the composer, including the biographies written by Bertensson and Leyda, Bazhanov, Haylock, Lyle, Martyn et al, I came away from Harrison's book with a fresh image of the composer. It was one of those books that one reads looking forward to each page and almost dreading that the book, as did the composer's life, would end too soon.

Harrison clearly knows the music and all of the recordings. While he obviously places great value in the music, he is not unconditional in his appreciation. He provides a highly informed contemporary critical perspective and places the music within the context of the composer's life. It is the sort of writing that can be appreciated by an informed musician and musicologist, while also being understood and valued by the informed listener.

As I read the book I found myself returning to the Rachmaninoff operas, works which I had not really valued as much until reading Harrison's discussions.

I came away from my reading with a renewed appreciation for the music and recordings of this man who gave us all so much with his creative expression.

One of the best Rachmaninoff books ever written.
Over the last century, much has been written on the great Russian composer/pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff. However, if there is one book that encompasses mass detail of the life and work of Rachmaninoff, it would have to be "Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings" written by Max Harrison.
Harrison's massive research in writing this book definitely pays off as it includes detailed annotations of Rachmaninoff's music works as well as his personal life and career as a recording artist. When it comes to the latter topic, this book may be the only one that goes greatly in depth to the making of Rachmaninoff's recordings. If you own the Rachmaninoff "Complete Recordings" box set, this book goes hand in hand with the CD set and shines greater light on what's being heard.
In addition to the lengthy and informative essay, the book also includes several musical examples as well as a complete list of the composer's works and a discography of his complete recordings (which lists both the issued and rejected takes alongside the years and places of recording as well as what type of recording it is - piano roll, acoustical or electrical).
As mentioned above, this is an essential book on Rachmaninoff. This book pretty much has it all when it comes to all the key areas of his life and career as a composer, a recording artist and an individual.
This is definitely a book that no Rachmaninoff fan should be without. ... Read more

Book Description
Another volume in the Masterworks Library of full scores collected in one volume. ... Read more

Book Description
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a renowned composer, pianist, and conductor. Because he was a member of the Russian aristocracy, he fled the country after the tsar's abdication, and eventually relocated in the United States. Many of his compositions are for piano, yet he also composed orchestral and symphony works, three operas, choral and liturgical works, some chamber works, and numerous songs. This guide catalogues his numerous works and performances, provides a detailed bibliography, and includes a discography of recordings released within the last half-century. Cross-referenced throughout, this volume should appeal to music and Rachmaninoff scholars who are looking for a comprehensive guide to further research. ... Read more

Book Description
Titles include the famous '18th Variation on a Theme of Paganini,' along with selected transcriptions ('The Bumble-Bee,' 'Minuet' from L'ARLESIENNE SUITE, and 'Liebeslied'). Etude-Tableau, Moment Musicals, Preludes, other individual pieces, and the complete 'Variations on a Theme of Chopin' round out this unique collection that is not available from any other publisher. 29 pieces on 192 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great piano works of Sergei Rachmaninoff
I am very satisfied with the buying and delivering experience at amazon.com. Instead of 3-5 weeks it took only 1(!) week to get my order.
Thank you!

Very Good
Top. But do not buy it unless a master Piano performer. Rachmaninoff is NOT easy! ... Read more

Book Description
Advanced piano solo by Sergei Rachmaninoff. ... Read more

Book Description
Contents: Etude, Op. 2, No. 3 * Etude in C minor, Op. 2, No. 4 * Conte, Op. 3, No. 1 * Badinage, Op. 3, No. 2 * Marche, Op. 3, No. 3 * Fantome, Op. 3, No. 4 * Suggestion Diabolique, Op. 4, No. 4 * Toccata, Op. 11 * March in F minor, Op. 12, No. 1 * Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7 * Gavotte from the "Classical Symphony," Op. 25 * March from "The Love of Three Oranges," Op. 33 * Chose en soi, Op. 45b * Scherzo, Op. 52, No. 6 * Sonatina in G, Op. 54, No. 2 * Paysage, Op. 59, No. 2 * Scherzino, Op. 52, No. 4 * Sonatine Pastorale in C, Op. 59, No. 3 * Pensees (I, II, III), Op. 62 * Gavotte, Op. 77, No. 4 * Contradance from the film Lermontov, Op. 96, No. 2 * Mephisto Valse from the film Lermontov. ... Read more