Rachmaninov is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. He had legendary technical facilities and rhythmic drive, and his large hands were able to cover the interval of a thirteenth on the keyboard (a hand span of approximately twelve inches). His large handspan roughly corresponded with his height; Rachmaninov was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98m) tall according to sources[citation needed]. He also had the ability to play complex compositions upon first hearing. Many recordings were made by the Victor Talking Machine Company recording label of Rachmaninov's performing his own music, as well as works from the standard repertory.
His reputation as a composer, on the other hand, has generated controversy since his death. The 1954 edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed his music as "monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes ..." and predicted that his popular success was "not likely to last". [1] To this, Harold C. Schoenberg, in his Lives of the Great Composers, responded, "It is one of the most outrageously snobbish and even stupid statements ever to be found in a work that is supposed to be an objective reference." Indeed, not only have Rachmaninov's works become part of the standard repertory, but their popularity among both musicians and audiences had, if anything, increased during the second half of the twentieth century, with some of his symphonies and other orchestral works, songs and choral music recognized as masterpieces alongside the more familiar piano works.
His compositions include, among others, four piano concerti, three symphonies, two piano sonatas, three operas, a choral symphony (The Bells, based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe), the All-Night Vigil for unaccompanied choir (often known as Rachmaninov's Vespers), the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, 24 Preludes (including the famous Prelude in C-sharp minor), 17 Études-tableaux, Symphonic Dances and many songs, of which the most famous is the wordless Vocalise. Most of his pieces are in a melancholy, late Romantic style akin to Tchaikovsky, although strong influences of Chopin and Liszt are apparent. Further inspiration included the music of Balakirev (Милий Алексеевич Балакирев), Mussorgsky (Модест Петрович Мусоргский), Medtner (Николай Карлович Метнер)(whom he considered the greatest contemporary composer and who, according to Schoenberg's Lives, returned the compliment by imitating him) and Henselt.
Rachmaninov was born in Semyonovo, near Novgorod in north-western Russia, into a noble family of Tatar descent, who had been in the service of the Russian tsars since the 16th century. His parents were both amateur pianists, and he had his first piano lessons with his mother on their family estate at Oneg; however, his parents noticed no outstanding talent in the youngster. Because of financial difficulties, the family moved to Saint Petersburg, where Rachmaninov studied at the Conservatory before moving to Moscow. There, he studied piano under Nikolay Zverev and Alexander Siloti (who was his cousin and a former student of Franz Liszt). He also studied harmony under Anton Arensky, and counterpoint under Sergei Taneyev. It should be noted that, in his younger days, Rachmaninov was found to be quite lazy, failing most of his classes and spending much time skating. It was the strict regime of the Zverev home (a place for many young musicians, including Scriabin) that instilled discipline in the boy.
Already, in his early years, he showed great skill in composition. While still a student, he wrote the one-act opera, Aleko (for which he was awarded a gold medal in composition), his first piano concerto and a set of piano pieces, Morceaux de Fantaisie (Op. 3, 1892), including the popular and famous Prelude in C-sharp minor. (According to Francis Crociata’s liner notes to RCA's 10-CD set of Rachmaninov’s recordings, the composer later became annoyed by the public’s fascination with this piece, composed when he was just 19. He would often tease an expectant audience by asking, “Oh, must I?” or claiming inability to remember anything else.) Rachmaninov confided in Zverev his desire to compose more, requesting a private room where he could compose in silence, but Zverev saw him only as a pianist and severed his links with the boy. After the success of Aleko, however, Zverev welcomed him back as a composer and pianist. His first serious pieces for the piano were composed and performed as a student, at the age of thirteen, during his residence with Zverev. In 1892, at nineteen, he completed his Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 1, 1891), which he revised in 1917.
Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13, 1896) premiered on 27 March 1897 in one of a long-running series of "Russian Symphony Concerts", but was torn apart by critics. In a particularly vitriolic review by César Cui, it was likened to a depiction of the seven plagues of Egypt and suggested that it would be admired by the "inmates" of a music conservatory in hell. It is often mooted that the criticisms stem from inadequacy of the performance. The conducting of Alexander Glazunov is often remembered as a problem: he liked the piece, but was a weak conductor and starved of rehearsal time. Rachmaninov's wife later suggested that Glazunov may have been drunk and, although this was never intimated by Rachmaninov, it would not seem out of character. The disastrous reception, coupled with his distress over the Eastern Orthodox Church's objection to his marrying his cousin, Natalia Satina, contributed to a period of severe depression.
He wrote little music over the following years, until he began a course of autosuggestive therapy with psychologist Nikolai Dahl, an amateur musician himself. Rachmaninov quickly recovered his confidence. An important result of these sessions was the composition of the Piano Concerto No. 2 (Op. 18, 1900–01), which was dedicated to Dr. Dahl. The piece was very well received at its premiere at which Rachmaninov was soloist, and remains one of his most popular compositions.
Rachmaninov's spirits were further bolstered when, after years of engagement, he was finally allowed to marry Natalia. They were married by an army priest in 1902, and their union lasted until the composer's death. After several successful appearances as a conductor, Rachmaninov was offered a job as conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1904, although political reasons led to his resignation two years later. In 1908, he moved to Italy, and later to Dresden, Germany, while waiting for the political situation in Russia to normalize.
Rachmaninov made his first tour of the United States as a pianist in 1909, an event for which he composed the Piano Concerto No. 3 (Op. 30, 1909). This successful tour made him a popular figure in America.
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, which meant the end of the old Russia, Rachmaninov and his family left for Stockholm in December of 1917, and never returned to the home country afterwards. They settled then in Denmark for a year, and finally started a 10 days voyage from Oslo to New York on November 1, 1918, which marked the beginning of the American period of the composer's life. After Rachmaninov's departure, his music was banned in the Soviet Union for several years. His compositional output slowed, partly because he was required to spend much of his time performing to support his family, but mainly because of homesickness; he felt that, when he left Russia, it was as if he had left behind his inspiration.
The falloff in Rachmaninov's output was dramatic. Between 1892 and 1917 (mainly living in Russia), Rachmaninov wrote 39 compositions with opus numbers. Between 1918 and his death in 1943, mainly living in the U.S., he completed only six.
As the years went on, and he became more and more aware of the fact that he would never again return to his beloved homeland, he was overwhelmed with melancholia. Most people who knew him later in life described him as the saddest man they had ever known. Nevertheless, his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, today one of his best-known works, was written in Switzerland in 1934.
He went on to compose his Symphony No. 3 (Op. 44, 1935–36) and the Symphonic Dances (Op. 45, 1940), his last completed work. He fell ill during a concert tour in late 1942, and was subsequently diagnosed with advanced melanoma.
Rachmaninov and his wife became American citizens on 1 February 1943. His last recital, given on 17 February, 1943 at the University of Tennessee Alumni Gymnasium, prophetically featured Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor which contains the famous funeral march. A statue commemorating Rachmaninov's last concert stands in the World's Fair Park in Knoxville, TN.
Rachmaninov died on March 28, 1943, in Beverly Hills, California, just a few days before his 70th birthday, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. In the final hours of his life, he insisted he could hear music playing somewhere nearby. After being repeatedly assured that was not the case, he said: "Then it is in my head".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Rachmaninoff
nocturne ор.15 no. 2 in f sharp major
Sergei Rachmaninoff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lâu nay không chút thay đổi
Thế nhưng bây giờ em muốn chia tay vì tôi vẫn còn trẻ con
Babe, 가지마
Stay here with me, 가지마
Hụt hẫng
Gạt nước mắt nhớ ngày buồn nhất
Không muốn ai thay mình chăm sóc em những ngày tới
Thoáng nghĩ đã đau lòng nhưng trách ai đây ngoài tôi
Em bước đi nhẹ nhàng (em đang xa tôi nhẹ nhàng)
Nhưng trong anh bão tố (giấu hết bão tố trong tim)
Nghẹn câu "Em đừng đi nữa"
Nhưng tại môi mím chặt, chẳng thể một lần nói ra
Chẳng ai có thể chỉ một ngày mà tốt hơn
Chẳng lầm lỗi nào chỉ một giây mà xóa mờ
Mình không thể lâu dài chỉ vì tôi ngây ngô
(Ngốc nghếch nên tình thơ mới chết, vô vọng trong bóng tối mình tôi)
Thời gian sẽ minh chứng tất cả
Và cũng có thể ngoảnh đi, bỏ mặc chúng ta
Ngón tay ấy buông xuôi vì chẳng cần tôi ở bên
Đã từ chối cơ hội để đợi tôi vững vàng
Ngồi khóc giữa cơn mưa mới thấu đâu là chạm đáy của nỗi đau
Ngày cuối ở bên
Môi tôi không thể nuôi can đảm để thốt lên
Rời xa vòng tay
Em cho tôi cảm giác nhung nhớ đến thế nào
Từ biệt chưa nói câu chào, mà sao muốn bước đi vội
Mới có nhau thôi, lại xóa hết những yêu thương rồi
Bàn tay tôi nắm chặt
Ngước lên bầu trời để nước mắt không tuôn rơi
Người là ánh sáng dẫn tôi tìm những giấc mơ
Giờ phía trước mịt mù trong bóng tối nỗi sợ, I′m losing you
Babe, 가지마
Stay here with me, 가지마
Hụt hẫng
Gạt nước mắt nhớ ngày buồn nhất
Từ sâu trong lòng không muốn ai thay mình chăm sóc em những ngày tới (ngày tới)
Thoáng nghĩ đã đau lòng nhưng trách ai đây ngoài tôi
Em bước đi nhẹ nhàng (em đang xa tôi nhẹ nhàng)
Nhưng trong anh bão tố (giấu hết bão tố trong tim)
Nghẹn câu "Em đừng đi nữa"
Nhưng tại môi mím chặt, chẳng thể một lần nói ra
Chẳng ai có thể chỉ một ngày mà tốt hơn
Chẳng lầm lỗi nào chỉ một giây mà xóa mờ
Mình không thể lâu dài chỉ vì tôi ngây ngô
(Ngốc nghếch nên tình thơ mới chết, vô vọng trong bóng tối mình tôi)
Thời gian sẽ minh chứng tất cả
Và cũng có thể ngoảnh đi, bỏ mặc chúng ta
Ngón tay ấy buông xuôi vì chẳng cần tôi ở bên
Đã từ chối cơ hội để đợi tôi vững vàng
Ngồi khóc giữa cơn mưa mới thấu đâu là chạm đáy của nỗi đau
Babe, babe, 가지마
Babe, 가지마
Mình không thể lâu dài chỉ vì tôi ngây ngô
Thời gian sẽ minh chứng tất cả
Và cũng có thể ngoảnh đi, bỏ mặc chúng ta
Ngón tay ấy buông xuôi vì chẳng cần tôi ở bên
Đã từ chối cơ hội để đợi tôi vững vàng
Ngồi khóc giữa cơn mưa mới thấu đâu là chạm đáy của nỗi đau
Không muốn ai thay mình chăm sóc em những ngày tới
Thoáng nghĩ đã đau lòng nhưng trách ai đây ngoài tôi
The given lyrics are in Vietnamese, and not related to Sergei Rachmaninoff's Song Nocturne ор.15 No. 2 in F sharp major. Therefore, it is not possible to provide an interpretation of the lyrics in relation to the song.
However, to provide some information about Rachmaninoff's Nocturne ор.15 No. 2 in F sharp major, the song is a solo piano piece, composed by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1890. The piece is part of a set of 13 pieces for solo piano, which Rachmaninoff composed before he was 20 years old.
Line by Line Meaning
Luôn bên em là tôi
I will always be by your side
Lâu nay không chút thay đổi
I have not changed at all for a long time
Thế nhưng bây giờ em muốn chia tay vì tôi vẫn còn trẻ con
However, now you want to break up with me because I am still childish
Babe, 가지마
Babe, don't go
Stay here with me, 가지마
Stay here with me, don't go
Hụt hẫng
Disappointed
Gạt nước mắt nhớ ngày buồn nhất
Wiping tears, remembering the saddest day
Không muốn ai thay mình chăm sóc em những ngày tới
I don't want anyone else to take care of you in the days to come
Thoáng nghĩ đã đau lòng nhưng trách ai đây ngoài tôi
Just thinking about it hurts, but who else can I blame besides myself
Em bước đi nhẹ nhàng (em đang xa tôi nhẹ nhàng)
You walk away gently (you are gradually getting further from me)
Nhưng trong anh bão tố (giấu hết bão tố trong tim)
But inside me there is a storm (hiding the storm in my heart)
Nghẹn câu "Em đừng đi nữa"
Choking on the words "Don't go anymore"
Nhưng tại môi mím chặt, chẳng thể một lần nói ra
But with tightly pressed lips, I can't say it once
Chẳng ai có thể chỉ một ngày mà tốt hơn
No one can point out a better day
Chẳng lầm lỗi nào chỉ một giây mà xóa mờ
No mistake can be erased in just a second
Mình không thể lâu dài chỉ vì tôi ngây ngô
We can't last just because I am naive
(Ngốc nghếch nên tình thơ mới chết, vô vọng trong bóng tối mình tôi)
(Foolish, so the love dies, hopeless in my darkness)
Thời gian sẽ minh chứng tất cả
Time will prove everything
Và cũng có thể ngoảnh đi, bỏ mặc chúng ta
And it's also possible to turn away, leaving us behind
Ngón tay ấy buông xuôi vì chẳng cần tôi ở bên
That finger drops because it doesn't need me by its side
Đã từ chối cơ hội để đợi tôi vững vàng
It has rejected the opportunity to wait for me to be strong
Ngồi khóc giữa cơn mưa mới thấu đâu là chạm đáy của nỗi đau
Sitting and crying in the rain only then do I truly feel the depth of the pain
Ngày cuối ở bên
Last day being together
Môi tôi không thể nuôi can đảm để thốt lên
My lips cannot muster the courage to say
Rời xa vòng tay
Leaving the embrace
Em cho tôi cảm giác nhung nhớ đến thế nào
You make me feel how much I will miss you
Từ biệt chưa nói câu chào, mà sao muốn bước đi vội
Goodbye without saying hello, but why do you want to leave so quickly
Mới có nhau thôi, lại xóa hết những yêu thương rồi
We just had each other and yet all the love is already gone
Bàn tay tôi nắm chặt
My hand clenches tightly
Ngước lên bầu trời để nước mắt không tuôn rơi
Looking up at the sky so tears won't fall
Người là ánh sáng dẫn tôi tìm những giấc mơ
You were the light that led me to find my dreams
Giờ phía trước mịt mù trong bóng tối nỗi sợ, I′m losing you
Now ahead of me is darkness and fear, I'm losing you
Từ sâu trong lòng không muốn ai thay mình chăm sóc em những ngày tới (ngày tới)
From deep in my heart, I don't want anyone else to take care of you in the days to come (days to come)
Babe, babe, 가지마
Babe, babe, don't go
Writer(s): Siromr
Contributed by Alexis J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.