Abstract:

Arguably one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, Sergei Rachmaninoff remains something of a sphinx when it comes to assessing the performative genius behind this extraordinary musician. This is not for lack of evidence. Living as he did at the dawn of the recording age, and thanks to the savvy minds of American entrepreneurs and the Victor Talking Machine Company, he bequeathed to posterity a substantial collection of studio recordings.

Curiously, until now, neither pianists nor scholars have devoted much effort to a detailed examination of Rachmaninoff's performing styles, whether in relation to his readings of works by others or to his own output. At best, brief attempts (primarily journalistic or passing mentions in a string of biographies) merely graze the issues of Rachmaninoff's approach to the piano: tone, articulation, creation of line, pedaling, and tempo and tempo flexibility, not to mention larger issues of musical architecture and artistic temperament. This study seeks to address this neglected area by providing an in-depth analysis of several representative recordings of Rachmaninoff's playing drawn from contrasting style periods/genres--Baroque, Classical, Romantic (including transcriptions)--through charts and graphical depictions in an attempt to articulate in concrete terms the nature of Rachmaninoff's persona as a performing artist. It culminates in an investigation of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, a work soundly undervalued for its first two decades.

The primary research tool is a document available since 1992--Rachmaninoff's complete collection of recordings issued by RCA. A selection of recordings from his contemporaries and successors provides points of comparison. The digital metronome also proved to be an indispensable tool, providing a quantitative structure for assessing rubato and other tempo modifications so paramount in a Rachmaninoff performance. Equally essential are archival accounts of Rachmaninoff's performances, reviews, and commentaries by his contemporaries. Together these resources provide an opportunity for insights that can benefit any pianist contemplating a performance of this legendary work.