Rachmaninoff scares me

Cyril Smith recounts Rachmaninoff’s stage presence:

Those who were fortunate enough to hear him play will almost certainly remember this very tall, melancholy figure, with his graying hair in a crew cut and his deeply-lined face set in a somber expression, walking unwillingly to the piano as though he hated the very sight of  it.  Slowly he would take his seat, gazing round at the audience with his gimlet eyes … Such was the power of his personality that I have seen members of the audience cower down in their seats as his glance passed over them … As he took in the stalls, the circle and the galleries, he would play a chord, pianissimo, then repeat it several times softer until it dwindled to less than a whisper.  By then the audience would have quietened completely and Rachmaninoff was ready to begin his recital.

Smith, Cyril (1958) Duet for Three Hands.  London: Angus and Robertson, p. 116.

Posted

in

by

Greg

Tags:

Featured Content

Art is a crucial, dangerous operation
If a man teaches composition in a university, how can he not be a composer? He has worked hard, learned his craft. Ergo, he is a composer. A professional. Like a doctor. But there is that doctor who opens you up, does exactly the right thing, closes you up—and you die. He failed to take […]
Richter on Scriabin
“Scriabin isn’t the sort of composer whom you’d regard as your daily bread, but is a heady liqueur on which you can get drunk periodically, a poetical drug, a crystal that’s easily broken.” -Sviatoslav Richter, pianist Monsaingeon, Bruno (2001). Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations. Princeton University Press, p.267 Cited at: Wikipedia
Accustomed to being ignored
Josef von Spaun recalled the following incident involving Franz Schubert at a concert. Schubert had just accompanied Baron Schönstein, at the house of Karolina Maria Kinsky (Princess, née Baroness Kerpen) when everyone loudly acclaimed Schönstein for his performance while taking no notice of the composer who had accompanied him, the princess sought to make amends […]
Turn to the Lord in your Need (Setting II) – Psalm 68 (69)
Title: Turn to the Lord in your need (Setting II) Text: Psalm 68 (69): 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Product medium: PDF score and part     Sample:
Mozart’s piano returns to his home
“The piano that Mozart used for the last 10 years of his life and which he used to compose much of his music was returned to his former home in Vienna for a performance of his music. ‘A big, positive shock was how good the instrument is,’ said Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov after the concert […]
Playing by the mood of the audience
Rachmaninoff sent fellow composer/pianist Medtner his Corelli Variations.  He wrote: I played them here about fifteen times, but of these fifteen performances, only one was good.  The others were sloppy.  I can't play my own compositions!  And it's so boring! Not once have I played these all in continuity.  I was guided by the coughing […]
Love Came Down At Christmas (Rossetti)
Title: Love came down at Christmas Text: Christina Rossetti Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Product medium: PDF score and part     Related products:     – Love came down at Christmas – Piano solo (PDF score)     – Love came down at Christmas – Piano solo (MP3) hase_link id=”1674″ text=”Purchase” style=”button” color=”blue”] Samples:
Beethoven’s contest
In 1800, an improvisation contest occured between Beethoven and the pianist Daniel Steibelt. It was agreed that Prince Lobkowitz would sponsor Steibelt and Prince Lichnowsky sponsor Beethoven, the improvisation contest to take place in Lobkowitz’s palace. As the challenger, Steibelt was to play first. He walked to the piano, tossing a piece of his own […]
Musical taste in England in 1925
A general perspective of musical taste in Britain in the 1920s can be seen in the letters to radio broadcasters. In 1926, the B.B.C. (at that time, the British Broadcasting Company) (1) compiled correspondence to the company. In the week ending December 4, of the 7600 letters received, 302 were critical: 125 condemned dance music […]
Mozart on rubato in adagios
In 1777, Mozart visited Heir Stein in Ausburg (1). According to Mozart, Stein had stated that no-one has ever played his Piano Forte as well as I have, and, besides, I always keep correct time. They are all wondering about that. They simply can’t believe that you can play a Tempo rubato in an Adagio, […]