Solo Pianist - Diary entries
Many of the initial performance details listed here were 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, especially substantial research that identified precise program details, 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), A Catalogue of the Compositions of S. Rachmaninoff by Robert Threlfall and Geoffrey Norris (Scolar Press: London, 1982), and research undertaken at the Glinka Museum of Musical Culture, Moscow.
February 25 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicated uncertainty about the last number on the program, stating and that it could have been the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody no. 9 with which Rachmaninoff was also ending programs during this season, however the attached press clipping indicates that Balakirev was programmed. While in a number of places she indicated decisively that the E flat minor Etude-Tableau was from the op. 33 set, a reference in the attached review perhaps indicates that she mistook it for the one from the op. 39 set. She noted that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. Tchaikovsky's Troika and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 26 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: As the second of the attached reviews explains, Balakirev's Islamey was played immediately after Rachmaninoff's G flat major Prelude, which explains the comment in the first attached review that it was not performed. The second reviewer's comments seem more reliable, and it appears the Etude-Tableau in E flat minor, op. 33 - which had been programmed after the Prelude - was played as an encore instead. Other encores included Tchaikovsky's Troika, Rachmaninoff's transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee, and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2. As the press clippings note, this concert had been arranged at relatively short notice. Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 1 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: The third of the attached reviews indicates that a Scriabin group was to have been included in the second half of the concert, as was advertised (but not played) for the second concert in Los Angeles on March 7. Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the last of the encores in the attached reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 3 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Sgambatti's transcription of Gluck's 'Melodie' is noted among the encores in the third of the attached reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 5 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: The reference to the Etude-Tableau as 'warm and colorful' in the first of the attached reviews likely indicates that op. 39, no. 1, was performed. The Gluck-Sgambatti 'Melodie', Rachmaninoff's transcription of Mussorgsky's Hopak, and Rubinstein's transcription of Beethoven's Turkish March are noted as encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 7 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: According to the attached press clipping, the second half of the concert was to be different to what is outlined by Satina here; yet, adding confusion, the second of the attached reviews for the first Los Angeles concert on March 3 indicates Scriabin would be played. Until such time as a review or image of a program is found, it seems that in place of the works by Scriabin, etc., which must be doubted, the second half could have been similar to what was played a few nights later in San Diego. Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that the Scriabin Etude from op. 42 was probably in C sharp minor. Satina also indicates that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 9 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the encore in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 20 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as an encore in the attached reviews. The press clippings cover the recent Soviet ban on Rachmaninoff's music, and include a reported rare comment in the second of the reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 21 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina wondered whether the Chopin Waltz might not have been played, and noted that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been either op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. She believed that Rachmaninoff's E flat minor Etude-Tableau, op. 33, was on the program, however it is not mentioned in the attached review. Rachmaninoff's transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumblebee is noted among the encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 24 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 26 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. A Chopin mazurka, Rachmaninoff's transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee, and Tchaikovsky's Troika are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 27 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 2, or op. 42, and that Medtner’s Fairy Tale in B minor could have been op. 20 or op. 34, no. 1. Chopin's Mazurka in C sharp minor, op. 63, no. 3, Rachmaninoff's transcription of Mussorgsky's Hopak, and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 12 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the first performance of the Variations, op. 42. It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the encore in the attached reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 15 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. A Chopin mazurka in D major and the Waltz in E minor, and Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 18 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 19 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. Tchaikovsky's Troika and Chopin's Waltz in E minor, op. posth., are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 20 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. A Chopin waltz, Tchaikovsky's Troika, and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 21 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. The attached review notes that Beethoven's Sonata in E flat major, op. 81a was initially advertised, as was a Liszt Transcendental Etude. Tchaikovsky's Troika and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 23 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that Rachmaninoff’s Variations, op. 42, was not mentioned in the review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 1 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 5 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. The attached press clipping cites Gluck's opera Iphigenia in Aulis, although it appears the same gavotte was used in both works. The Preludes in F sharp minor, op. 23, no. 1, and C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted among the encores in the attached reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 7 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: It is not entirely certain which Gavotte by Gluck (arranged by Ernest Pauer) was played during this season, although Martyn (p. 425) believes that it was from Paris and Helen. The attached review indicates that eight encores were played, the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, being the last of them. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 11 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this concert began at 8.30pm. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the encore in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 12 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this concert began at 8.30pm and that this was the first performance of Rachmaninoff’s Oriental Sketch. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 15 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted among the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 16 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Tchaikovsky's Troika and the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 17 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Rachmaninoff deviated from the program outlined in the attached press clipping and the attached images in the second half of the recital, substituting works of his own. Tchaikovsky's Troika, and Rachmaninoff's transcriptions of Bizet's Minuet and Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee, are noted as the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 2 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 5 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Fragments from this concert were recorded without Rachmaninoff's knowledge: Brahms Ballade in D minor (bars 145-150), and Liszt Ballade in B minor no. 2 (beginning to bar 125). The recording was made by Bell Telephone Laboratories, and released by Marston Records in 2018. Martyn (p. 445) believed that the recording was made on 3 December but that it didn't survive for posterity, and that Weber was played rather than Brahms. Satina lists the encores as a Mazurka by Chopin, Rachmaninoff's transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee, Troika by Tchaikovsky, and an Etude by Dohnányi. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 10 1931
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: This appears to be the first performance Rachmaninoff gave of the revised version of his Second Piano Sonata. Rachmaninoff's transcriptions of Schubert's The Brooklet ('Wohin?'), Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee, Mussorgsky's Hopak and Bizet's Minuet, along with the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, are noted as the encores in the attached reviews. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.