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).

October 25 1938

Washington, DC, USA
Constitution Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

October 26 1938

Baltimore, MD, USA
Lyric Theater

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 4 1938

St Louis, MO, USA
Municipal Building

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 5 1938

St Louis, MO, USA
Municipal Building

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 8 1938

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

December 9 1938

Minneapolis, MN, USA
Northrup Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: The Beethoven Quartet was performed in an arrangement for string orchestra. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 29 1938

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

December 30 1938

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

March 9 1939

Manchester, England

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

August 11 1939

Lucerne, Switzerland
Kunsthaus

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert was part of an International Music Festival. It seems ironic that a work so associated (even if wrongly) with the destruction wrought on Europe by the First World War, Ravel's La valse, ends this concert – Rachmaninoff’s final performance in Europe – on the eve of the Second World War. While Satina didn't provide details regarding the ensemble, the attached festival program booklet describes it as 'a first-rate orchestra of 90 professional musicians'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

October 26 1939

Cleveland, OH, USA
Severance Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

October 28 1939

Cleveland, OH, USA
Severance Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 3 1939

Minneapolis, MN, USA
Northrop Auditorium

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: In a letter to his agent dated October 5 1939 in the Library of Congress archive, Rachmaninoff notes the 'absolute necessity' of indicating that the 'Edition of A. Ziloti' was used for Totentanz. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 16 1939

Detroit, MI, USA
Masonic Temple

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 26 1939

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this was the first of three consecutive Sunday evenings devoted to Rachmaninoff’s compositions, promoted as a ‘Rachmaninoff Cycle’. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 1 1939

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Academy of Music

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

December 2 1939

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Academy of Music

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

December 3 1939

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this was the second of three consecutive Sunday evenings devoted to Rachmaninoff’s compositions, promoted as a ‘Rachmaninoff Cycle’. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

December 4 1939

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Academy of Music

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina confirms that Rachmaninoff performed this concert after the recording session earlier in the day. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

January 5 1940

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 7 1940

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 10 1940

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

January 12 1940

New York, NY, USA
Carnegie Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

January 19 1940

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

January 20 1940

San Francisco, CA, USA
Memorial Opera House

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

January 25 1940

Hollywood, CA, USA
Pantages Theater

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

January 26 1940

Hollywood, CA, USA
Pantages Theater

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

October 22 1940

Chicago, IL, USA
Orchestra Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

Notes: Satina notes that this concert commenced at 2.15pm. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.

November 5 1940

Baltimore, MD, USA
Lyric Theater

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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

November 6 1940

Washington, DC, USA
Constitution Hall

Rachmaninoff's role: Concerto Soloist

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