The great Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff declared that his music was "the product of his temperament, therefore Russian", but he spent the final 26 years of life in exile after fleeing Russia in 1917.
While in exile he composed his late masterpieces including the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the Symphonic Dances, while also preserving his legendary piano playing for posterity through a series of recordings.
To discuss this fascinating period of Rachmaninoff's life it was a great pleasure to be joined by critic and author Fiona Maddocks, who has explored this period of the composer's life in her highly enjoyable new book Goodbye Russia.
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The music played in this episode...
Sergei Rachmaninoff (piano)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Stephen Hough (piano), Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Concertgebouw Chorus, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Available Format: Presto CD
Boris Giltburg (piano), Brussels Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV
Sergei Rachmaninoff (piano)
Available Format: 9 CDs
