Not simply a prolific composer, Russian Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was also an impressive pianist. His album A Window in Time: Rachmaninoff Performs His Solo Piano Works demonstrates his extraordinary combination of both technical skill and his intensely personal artistry. Rachmanioff is legendary in the piano world for his incredible reach on the instrument: his fingers were long enough to span a thirteenth, making his compositions some of the most challenging (and perhaps most modified) in the piano repertoire. His introspective and yet sometimes turbulently passionate style, coming after the 19th-century Romantic Era's emphasis on personal expression and delicate feeling was beginning to pass out of vogue, made Rachmaninoff something of an anomaly in the contemporary music world. As a result, his compositions were not appreciated by the more aggressively innovative modernists of the earlier half of the 20th-century.
Yet for those looking for beautifully cascading scale passages, playful arpeggios, and mournful melody lines, Rachmaninoff offers some inspiring moments.
This album brings together nineteen pieces, including both Rachmaninoff's original piano solo works as well as arrangements of fellow Russians such Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" and Moussorgsky's "Hopak." His emigration to the United States in the wake of the Russian Revolution (and his subsequent severe home-sickness) makes his arrangement of "The Star Spangled Banner" especially touching. The chance to hear a composer perform his own work doesn't come often in the classical music world (nor is it often that the composer is even able to perform his own works). But Rachmaninoff's abilities in the realms of both composition and performance make this album a must-have investment.
