Rachmaninoff - by Max Harrison (Paperback)

About the Book

A comprehensive biography of the virtuoso pianist and legendary composer of piano symphonies

Book Synopsis

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) is now widely regarded as one of the greatest 20th-century composers and pianists. In this illuminating and accessible biography, Max Harrison covers the span of Rachmaninoff's life, taking in his career as composer, pianist and conductor, offering full analyses of his scores and a uniquely detailed treatment of his 1919-1942 recordings. A fascinating account of the man, his life and work, this book sheds much new light on its subject and the ways that Rachmaninoff was viewed during his own time and beyond.

Review Quotes

"an impressive achievement, the result of meticulous research and a long, deep association with its subject...Its tone is crisp, energetic and omniscient...no one who is interested in any aspect of this great musician's legacy can afford to miss Harrison's engaging, scholarly and, yes, inspiring biography." --Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

"Max Harrison's comprehensive biography treats the life, works and recordings exactly as stated in the subtitle. A chronological survey of all three together in the course of thirty-nine relatively short chapters, supplemented by a section of fifty-four musical examples similarly ordered, a list of works both by chronological order and classification, an abbreviated discography and the bibliography. By keeping the chapters short, it is easy to peruse the reference notes at the end of each one. These are almost all explanatory and entertainingly informative widely published musical journalist. Max Harrison writes in a cultivated and comfortable British English. It is pleasingly free of jargon... Harrison sees to have set himself the task of presenting the chronology and circumstances of Rachmaninoff's life and works with scrupulous clarity and care.... Rachmaninoff's reputation was never in danger even in the final decades of his life, and both recordings and conductors who enjoy programming what audiences wish to hear have made its creative output better known and more highly esteemed than ever. Most composers' reputations bottom out a century after their birth but Rachmaninoff's is greater than ever.For readers of this journal, Rachmaninoff's own recordings will be a central interest. Harrison discusses each one in more detail than is usual. Particularly valuable is his discussion of the duplication of repertoire. He compares both the published recordings with the series of the piano rolls that Rachmaninoff recorded for Ampico during the twenties." --ARSC Journal

""Anyone deeply interested in the music of Rachmanimov who would like to really know about the Russian master's composition process will find Rachmaninov: Life, Works, Recordings to be of great interest." "there's no doubt that Harrison knows Rachmaninov's music in detail" "An intense and in-depth read, this is a book for real Rachmaninov aficionados." Pianist, No. 37, August-September 2007" --Pianist

"Nominated as a finalist for the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Classical shortlist." --Finalists for the 2006 ARSC Awards for Excellence

"The general excellence of this 'life and works' is greatly enhanced by generous coverage of Rachmaninov's parallel careers as pianist and conductor. Compared to other notable biographers, Harrison provides a more comprehensive portrait of Rachmaninov the all round musician" --Classical Music, Philip Borg - Wheeler

""Sergei Rachmaninov's three-dimensional career as pianist, conductor, and composer receives the most comprehensive scholarly analysis to date in this work by Mark Harrison. Harrison's own trisection of Rachmaninov-life, works, and recordings-address and surpasses the common themes of biographers and, via remarkable descriptions of compositions and performances preserved on sound recordings, transports the reader to concert halls and recording studios where Rachmaninov performed."-Lois Alexander, University of Michigan-Flint, Slavic and East European Journal, 51.4, Winter 2007" --Lois Alexander

"'his knowledge both of the repertoire and of other painters are impressive...he covers everything, and enthusiastically defends the originality of Rachmaniov's later works...Three stars...for diligence.' David Nice, BBC Music Magazine" --David Nice

"[A] compelling narrative...'A composer's music...should be the sum total of a composer's experience.' Rachmaninov once claimed. After reading this biography you should be left in no doubt as to that statement's veracity." --Julian Haylock, Classic FM Magazine

"Not only sculpts a crystal clear figure of Rachmaninoff the man, but also refines the transcript of his working life...we should, therefore, be indebted to Harrison for directing us to what is now a full colour portrait of an artist drawn through the visions of his creative self." --David Sonin, Ham and High

"Harrison's work is admirable... his research is exhaustive and wide-ranging... Harrison is a man with a mission to make us take Rachmaninoff's music more seriously... a book to be treasured by all... it is impossible to read it without reflecting that its subject has been comprehensively misunderstood; Harrison's work takes a major step to putting that situation right and doing justice to the composer and his music." --Max Harrison, International Piano

"A useful addition to the literature on someone who has finally become one of the most respected, if retrospective, 20th-Century composers." --Fergus Johnston, Irish Times, The

"This new study of Rachmaninoff by Max Harrison betokens a lifetime's study of this great composer and pianist, and is extended beyond the customary life and works framework to embrace Rachmaninoff's extensive recorded legacy, which, as time goes by, should become an essential part of any discussions of the life and works of those composers who have made recordings of their own music. The result is a welcome addition to the growing appreciation of Rachmaninoff's genius. Max Harrison wears his scholarship lightly, producing an eminently readable text which unveils the story of Rachmaninoff clearly and interestingly. His comments on the music and especially on Rachmaninoff's extensive recordings are particularly insightful, and add much to our understanding of them...very well-researched book...This excellently-produced book is much to be commended, and is most reasonably priced." --Musical Opinion

"...an honest, enormously detailed and very interesting book on a fascinating subject." --Bahman Barekat, Rachmaninoff Society Newsletter

About the Author

Max Harrison is a musicologist who reviewed for The Times and The Gramophone from 1967-90, has written widely on jazz, and contributed to the 1980 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and other reference works.