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).

January 10 1941

Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Syria Mosque

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

January 12 1941

Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Syria Mosque

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 7 1941

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert began at 2.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 8 1941

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina indicates that this concert began at 8.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 14 1941

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert commenced at 2.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 15 1941

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert began at 8.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 27 1941

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert began at 8.45pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 28 1941

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert commenced at 2.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

March 2 1941

Cleveland, OH, USA
Public Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: One of the attached reviews notes Rachmaninoff played Tchaikovsky's Troika as an encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

October 17 1941

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Academy of Music

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that these were the first performances of the second revised version of Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and that the concert began at 2.30pm. The attached press clipping advertises future performances in Cleveland and Chicago, however these did not occur. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

October 18 1941

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Academy of Music

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that these were the first performances of the second revised version of Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and that the concert began at 8.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

October 21 1941

Washington, DC, USA
Constitution Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that these were the first performances of the second revised version of Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

October 22 1941

Baltimore, MD, USA
Lyric Theater

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that these were the first performances of the second revised version of Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 6 1941

Chicago, IL, USA
Orchestra Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 7 1941

Chicago, IL, USA
Orchestra Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 11 1941

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina indicates that in the program the symphony was mistakenly listed no. 3. The concert began at 8.45pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 28 1941

Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Syria Mosque

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: The attached review from the Pittsburgh Press indicates that this was Rachmaninoff's first performance of the Schumann Concerto. The review from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette unfortunately is flawed, and the negative comments by the reviewer about the Schumann Concerto are indecipherable. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 30 1941

Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Syria Mosque

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: The concert began at 3pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 4 1941

Detroit, MI, USA
Masonic Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina believed that Brahms' Symphony closed the concert, however both the attached review and press clipping indicate that Rachmaninoff's performance of the Schumann Concerto was heard last. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 18 1941

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert began at 8.15pm, and was the Gala Centennial Season. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 19 1941

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert began at 2.30pm, and was the Gala Centennial Season. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

January 8 1942

Cleveland, OH, USA
Severance Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that while this was not the premiere of Rachmaninoff’s op. 45, these performances came within a week of it. She believed that the work closed the program, however the attached review appears to suggest the concerto was heard last. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

January 10 1942

Cleveland, OH, USA
Severance Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that while this was not the premiere of Rachmaninoff’s op. 45, these performances came within a week of it. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 12 1942

Los Angeles, CA, USA
Philharmonic Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

February 13 1942

Los Angeles, CA, USA
Philharmonic Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

May 9 1942

Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Hill Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this was a concert given by the University Music Society, and that the concert began at 2.30pm. The Prelude in G major, op. 32, no. 5, is noted as an encore after the concerto in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

July 17 1942

Hollywood, CA, USA
The Hollywood Bowl

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: The second attached review indicates that Jascha Heifetz and his wife were among the audience. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

July 18 1942

Hollywood, CA, USA
The Hollywood Bowl

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 20 1942

Minneapolis, MN, USA
Northrop Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina indicates that this concert began at 8.30pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 17 1942

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina has written that this was the first performance of Rachmaninoff’s op. 45 in New York, however as the review correctly notes the work had been heard the previous season with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The concert began at 8.45pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.