Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor born in 1873 in Semyonovo near Novgorod. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and achieved early success with his First Piano Concerto and Prelude in C-sharp minor. After the 1917 Russian Revolution he emigrated to the United States, where he rebuilt his career as a touring pianist and continued composing major works including the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the Symphonic Dances. His music fuses late-Romantic lushness with Russian folk elements and strong contrapuntal writing. He recorded extensively for RCA Victor and remains one of the most performed composers of the 20th century.