Concerto Soloist - Diary entries
Many of the performance details listed here have been compiled from Zarui Apetian’s important research, published in Literaturnoye Nasledie [Collected Literature] (Sovietskii Kompozitor: Moscow, 1980, vol. 3, pp. 439-467). These details have been subsequently cross-referenced and checked with the many itineraries and other corroborating materials collected by Rachmaninoff’s sister-in-law, Sophia Satina, housed in the Rachmaninoff Archive of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C (LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R22, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89). Further information has been gathered from Barrie Martyn’s book Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor (Scolar Press: London, 1990), and A Catalogue of the Compositions of S. Rachmaninoff by Robert Threlfall and Geoffrey Norris (Scolar Press: London, 1982).
December 17 1909
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 18 1909
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Concerto Soloist
Notes: Review: Boston Journal 1909.12.18 p. 4. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 16 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: Satina noted that the concert commenced at 3pm. The attached reviews indicate that the work by Bach comprised two movements each from Bach's Second and Third Orchestra Suites. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 21 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: The attached reviews note that the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, was played as an encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 22 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 27 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Concerto Soloist
Notes: The exact order of the program was not known to Satina, however the attached press clipping provides the details. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 31 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 6 1910 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Chamber Musician
Notes: Satina notes that this was the 7th of Alexander Siloti’s Symphony Concerts of the season. Satina also indicates that the program previously announced had been changed: ‘Rachmaninoff’s concerto no. 3 was cancelled because the score and orchestral material did not come back in time from America. Same about the Isle of the Dead.’ The work by Bach in the ‘edition of Siloti’ is not precisely known, however it could be one of the Two Transcriptions of the Prelude from the Cantata by JS Bach for solo piano. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 13 1910 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: The Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody is perhaps the orchestration of Hungarian Rhapsody no. 14 for piano. Satina notes that the Prelude was performed as an encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
April 4 1910 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Conductor
Notes: Satina notes that the program was different to that which was announced, and that Rachmaninoff’s Spring Cantata and The Rock were not heard. Instead, this was the first performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto in Moscow, postponed from a planned performance the previous month due to the delayed return of parts from the US. Satina also indicates that Rachmaninoff conducted in this concert, and it might be assumed that Plotnikoff conducted only in the concerto. Keldysh (p. 297) confirms that Rachmaninoff conducted his symphony. An image of the first page of this program is included in Keldysh's Rachmaninoff and His Time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 12 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this concert was part of the Leeds Festival. The attached review indicates that the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, was played as an encore after the Concerto. The image of the Leeds Mercury is used with kind permission of The British Library Board. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 11 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: When Rachmaninoff played this concert, the city was known as Königsberg, Germany, and adhered to the Gregorian calendar. I am grateful to J. Falleyn for his translation of the attached review, which appeared in the Königsberger Hartungsche Zeitung the day after the concert. According to the review, the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, and two Preludes from the op. 23 set, were played as encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 23 1910
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: According to a review in the Neuester Anzeiger on November 24, Rachmaninoff played three of his Preludes as well as the concerto.
November 27 1910 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the 4th Anniversary Celebration Concert in the 50th Anniversary of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. A review by Nikolai Kashkin in Russkoe Slovo the following day indicates that Rachmaninoff played at least one encore, however no titles are given. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 28, 1910 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Concerto Soloist
Notes: Satina notes that this performance was in celebration of the 100th Concert given in the Kerzin series, known as the Society of Lovers of Russian Music. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 15 1911 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Concerto Soloist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the 6th Symphony Concert of the season of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. Keldysh, in a footnote on p. 337, confirms that Pomerantsev conducted only in the concerto. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 21 1911 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Conductor
Notes: Martyn indicates that Khodorovsky conducted only in Rachmaninoff’s concerto (p. 552). LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 27 1911 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: When Rachmaninoff performed in this city it was known as Helsingfors. As part of the Grand Duchy of Finland at the time, the city was under Russian rule and adhered to the Julian Calendar; in the Western Calendar, the date of the concert was February 14. I am grateful to J. Falleyn for the translation of the attached review, which appeared in the Hufvudtadsbladet the day after the concert. According to the review, Rachmaninoff performed his Prelude in G minor, op. 23, no. 5, the Barcarolle, op. 10, no. 3, and the then-unpublished Prelude in G sharp minor, op. 32, no. 12, as encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 4 1911 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: Russian sources list this concert according to the Julian Calendar. Perhaps inadvertently, Satina shifts from listing concerts in Warsaw according to the Julian Calendar to using the 'new calendar' for this concert, but also giving the date as March 4. In the Gregorian Calendar, this date was March 17. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 20 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 21 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 23 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 25 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 15 1911 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: Satina notes that either in this concert, or the one in Warsaw on March 4 (Julian Calendar), the Isle of the Dead, op, 29, was also performed. In the Gregorian Calendar, this date was March 28. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 24 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Conductor
Notes: Satina believed that Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony was conducted by Simon Speelman, however the attached press clippings indicate it was conducted by the composer. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 7, 1911
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist and Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 2 1911 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.