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I don't quite understand why my theme was closed up. I beg your pardon, there are still things we have to talk about! For example - have you ever seen these two photos enlarged: They are from the German site rachmaninoff.de, but I never met these two photos elsewhere...
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It was due to the troll that was infesting the topic. Keep the good stuff coming!
Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons.
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Wow Marianne! Thank you! Quality stuff.
Ravel - Une Barque Sur l'Ocean Kapustin - Etude No. 7 Bach/Busoni - Chaconne
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The greater composer: Not wanting to tinkle in anybody's cereal -Rachmaninov knew what he was best at- but the emotional range of his music is extremely limited and quite repetitive. (The 3rd concerto is basically a repeat of the 2nd, the 2nd symphony makes good what he didn't in the 1st.) I don't think he came within a mile of his great contemporaries, Mahler, Strauss, Sibelius, Nielsen or Elgar. I suspect Rachmaninov knew that. That's okay. I love Rachmaninov very much -and the composers I list wrote nothing of importance for the piano- but I feel we need to keep the perspective.
Jason
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The greater composer, though.
SAYS YOU!!
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Care to be a bit more specific, otherwise your post is just 'I disagree.' Why don't you back it up?
Jason
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Let's not let this topic go south like the other one.
Stick to PICTURES.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt) www.pianoped.comwww.youtube.com/user/UIPianoPed
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Let's not let this topic go south like the other one. Okay. Sorry about that.
Jason
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Jaosn, You're reason for statements is no more compelling than mine but I'll just leave it at I disagree.
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Jason, You're reason for statements is no more compelling than mine but I'll just leave it at I disagree. Fair enough, my good mate. I still adore Rachmaninov and I will spin a CD for you! Let's see- how about the D minor Sonata? Nah, the Rhapsody, IMO utterly superb stuff.
Jason
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The greater composer:
Not wanting to tinkle in anybody's cereal -Rachmaninov knew what he was best at- but the emotional range of his music is extremely limited and quite repetitive. (The 3rd concerto is basically a repeat of the 2nd, the 2nd symphony makes good what he didn't in the 1st.) I don't think he came within a mile of his great contemporaries, Mahler, Strauss, Sibelius, Nielsen or Elgar. I suspect Rachmaninov knew that.
That's okay. I love Rachmaninov very much -and the composers I list wrote nothing of importance for the piano- but I feel we need to keep the perspective. Both of the piano concertos are very powerful and full of emotion. The only reason why the two seem so similar is because of the same mood in both pieces (which would be due to rachmaninoff's same emotional state while writing both). However, both have pretty distinct melodies. He created tons of great melodies. None of them are copies of each other. I know some of those other composers were virtuosos on their instruments too...but...We probably don't get to see that much of rachmaninoff's diversity because he was heavily focused on performing and conducting. And what about the two greats: mozart and bach? Are they not repetitive, in a sense?
Last edited by beginningpianist; 05/20/09 12:02 AM.
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All the great composers are repetitive. Part of their greatness is knowing that their audience may not catch it the first time.
Semipro Tech
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I don't quite understand why my theme was closed up. I beg your pardon, there are still things we have to talk about! For example - have you ever seen these two photos enlarged: They are from the German site rachmaninoff.de, but I never met these two photos elsewhere... I have never seen those pictures before either. I have no idea if larger versions are available. Thanks for sharing.
Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons.
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For example - have you ever seen these two photos enlarged: They are from the German site rachmaninoff.de, but I never met these two photos elsewhere... I am fairly sure the first picture is from a series of photos taken when Rachmaninoff attended rehearsals of Eugene Ormandy conducting the Symphonic Dances. I have a larger copy of this somewhere. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of moving house at the moment and don't have access to it. Once I'm settled, I'll dig out the picture. The second photo appears to have been taken at his house, Senar, in Switzerland.
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Exactly so! One can recognise Senar straight away... Thank you! I will look forward to see this picture thanks to you! Thank you for your replyies, dear friends. argerichfan, your view on the scale of Rachmaninoff's work is hugely individual... It is the choice of personal preferences. But there are undisscussible ways to know whether the composer is worth listening - his fame. Rachmaninoff's Vocalise is one of the most often performed piece, Rachmaninoff's Elegie is his best chef-d'oeuvre comparable only to the Moonlight Sonata to my mind... Have you ever heard them and felt nothing? So let me post some new. First of all we appreciate the pictures where SVR is playing the piano, so this one is among them and is very rare: I wish I knew where and when it was taken... Any ideas?
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My guess is this is the late 30's judging by the style of clothes of the audience. This photo was probably taken in the US. That's a New York Steinway D. If it were in Europe most likely he'd be playing a Hamburg D. I wonder how these people got to sit on stage with R. A great seat even if it's on the wrong side of the piano. Yet another great photo from Marianne!
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Jason, I love Rachmaninoff as much as I do Chopin in terms of writing for the piano. I could no longer live without them as without the other great contemporaries you mentioned.
Ok, now get back to those great pictures!
~Valerie
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... So let me post some new. First of all we appreciate the pictures where SVR is playing the piano, so this one is among them and is very rare: I wish I knew where and when it was taken... Any ideas? I'm less sure about this one but I still fairly confident this is actually taken from an advertisement. It may not be a picture of Rachmaninoff in performance. I think it's taken from an Ampico advert implying that by buying an Ampico recording of Rachmaninoff, it's as good as having him perform for you in your room. I have collected most of the Ampico, acoustic and Steinway advertisements of Rachmaninoff and think I have this among them. Again, when I finally unpack all my stuff in my new house I will be able to check.
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timbo77, exactly so!!! I look forward to get more information from you, it seems you have a precious archive! As long as I understand viewing the replies in this and previous topic with the same name there is kind of desire of those who write (let's say some of them) to feel that Rachmaninoff was a human being, not a deity and kind of "one of us". Hope this picture will prove it enough so that we can just enjoy it and never try to make our own humorous inscriptions under SVR's pictures... simply because he hasn't got the chance to do the same thing with us - that would be fair - wouldn't it? :-)
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