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.
November 11 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that according to Rachmaninoff’s wife the Chopin Mazurka was either op. 17, no. 4 or op. 67, no. 4, or op. 68, no. 2. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 12 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that according to Rachmaninoff’s wife the Chopin Mazurka was either op. 17, no. 4 or op. 67, no. 4, or op. 68, no. 2. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the first in a group of encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 14 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Chopin Waltz could have been either op. 64, no. 3, op. 69, no. 1, or op. 42, and that the concert was given at 11am in the morning. Rachmaninoff's transcription of Kreisler's Liebesleid is noted as the encore in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 16 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina noted that the key and number of the Chopin Ballade were not printed in the program, however as the same program was played in Seattle the following week she copied the details from there. One of the attached reviews confirms this, and also indicates the keys of Rachmaninoff's Preludes. Chopin's Waltz in D flat, op. 64, no. 1, the 'Minute', is noted as the encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 19 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina believes that the Scriabin poem was in F sharp major, op. 32, no. 1, and the Etude was in D sharp minor, op. 8, no. 12. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 22 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: In error, Satina listed this concert for November 24. She believed that the Scriabin poem was in F sharp major, op. 32, no. 1, and the Etude was in D sharp minor, op. 8, no. 12, as were included in other programs of the time. According to the attached reviews, after playing God Save the King, Rachmaninoff sat at the piano and waited for 15 minutes until latecomers were seated and there was silence in the hall. The description of this by Bob Bouchette, who also supplies an interview in an attached press clipping, is poetic. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted among the encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 23 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 26 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina noted that the Liszt Ballade was probably no. 2 in B minor, and that the keys of the Rachmaninoff Preludes were according to the review, the latter confirmed by one of those attached. The encores included the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, and an etude-tableau. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 27 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina believes that the Scriabin poem was in F sharp major, op. 32, no. 1, and the Etude was in D sharp minor, op. 8, no. 12. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as among the encores in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 1 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Rachmaninoff's transcriptions of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee and Mussorgsky's Hopak, along with the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2 (which the reviewer indicates Rachmaninoff returned to play after the stage lights had been turned off, due to the insistence of the audience), are among the encores noted in the attached review. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 4 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that the Liszt Ballade was probably no. 2 in B minor. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 9 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina believed that she had incomplete details for this unusual program, however the attached press clippings and reviews shed more light. Atypically, Rachmaninoff placed the Beethoven Sonata after interval, devoting the first half to seven works by Chopin. Yet in regard to these pieces, the press clippings diverge as to whether the third or fourth Ballade was played. The review of the Daily News notes the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, and Tchaikovsky's Troika as among the encores, which also included 'Bizet, Schumann, and Godowsky'. Satina further noted about this recital: ‘A picture was taken without his knowledge by a newspaper man when he played the nocturne. It is one of the best pictures kept in Rachmaninoff’s Archives now.’ LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 10 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina believes that the Scriabin poem was in F sharp major, op. 32, no. 1, and the Etude was in D sharp minor, op. 8, no. 12. Her ordering of the second half of the program was slightly different to that outlined in the attached review and press clipping, the latter which is followed here. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, a Chopin Waltz, Liszt's transcription of Wagner's Spinning Song, and Rachmaninoff's transcription of Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumble Bee are noted as the encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 12 1934
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: While Satina was unable to find complete program details for this recital, they have been reconstructed from the attached press clipping. The review notes that the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, was played as the encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 1 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: About this concert Satina is not clear: it could be that the program is speculative, based on what was played in Stockholm on February 8. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 5 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: About this concert Satina is not clear: it could be that the program is speculative, based on what was played in Stockholm on February 8. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 8 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 12 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 18 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: No details, however Satina indicates that works by Bach-Tausig, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt were played, indicating that the program could be similar to what was given in Oslo earlier in the month, excepting the work by Mozart. Her source appears to be Musical Opinion, 1935, Vol. 58. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 19 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: No details, however Satina indicates that works by Bach-Tausig, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt were played, indicating that the program could be similar to what was given in Oslo earlier in the month, excepting the work by Mozart. Her source appears to be Musical Opinion, 1935, Vol. 58. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 2 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina did not have a clear understanding of this concert: she initially indicated the program details were according to information received from Mr Tillett, which included Scarlatti sonatas, however she later found a review in Music Opinion, in which it was stated that Rachmaninoff played a program including the Bach-Tausig Toccata and a group of Russian works. This later opinion appears then to have been backed up by a pencilled note: ‘Correct – I was present. P Piggott’. The two attached reviews offer greater clarity, and the second half of the program appears mainly similar to what Rachmaninoff played in Stockholm on February 12; the entire program appears to be the same as was played in Glasgow on March 4. The Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, is noted as the last of the encores. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 4 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina was unable to provide a complete program, however she indicated her belief that similar works were played as the concert in London on March 2. Unfortunately, the image quality in the upper portions of the attached review is difficult to read, however details have been gleaned from those parts still legible. A mazurka and waltz by Chopin are noted as initial encores, concluding with the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 13 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: While Satina was unaware of the complete program for this recital, it can be reconstructed from a detailed review in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on March 14. The works by Rachmaninoff were apparently different to those named in the program. The transcription of Kreisler's Liebesleid is noted as the encore. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 14 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: The attached reviews and press clipping outline the majority of the program, which was not known by Satina. With the exception of the Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 3, no. 2, however, it is not known which other works by Rachmaninoff were on the program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 17 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: While Satina was unable to find any details for this concert, two attached press clippings outline an almost complete program. They are given tentatively for now, until either a review or actual program can be found. Programmatic similarities can be noted in groupings of works with preceding recitals, and it would seem likely the concert opened with the Bach-Tausig Toccata, and closed with the Dohnányi Etude-Caprice.
March 18 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: While Satina was unable to find details for this concert, the program can partially be reconstructed from the attached review in the Birmingham Gazette. The review from the Evening Despatch offers fewer details, but confirms the main works. Two Scarlatti sonatas are also noted at the concert the following day in Newcastle.
March 19 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: There is no complete program, however Satina indicates that works by Beethoven and Chopin were played in the first half, and that Scarlatti Sonatas (D major and either D minor or F minor - she notes a possible misprint for the latter), Brahms’ Ballade, op. 118, no. 3, Dohnányi’s Etude-Caprice, and works by Rachmaninoff were played in the second half. The attached press clipping from the Evening Chronicle the previous day indicates that all tickets for the concert had been sold. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
March 29 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
April 8 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina was unaware of the majority of items on this program, however the attached reviews have provided some further details. The program remains incomplete. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
April 10 1935
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina was unable to assemble a program for this concert, however her notes include some of the works indicated here. I am grateful to J. Falleyn for sending translations of the two attached reviews, which confirm works played, however the program remains incomplete. It could be that the complete program included the works played in other European concerts at this time, such as in London on March 2. It is possible that the concert took place in the Teatro Principado, as the Teatro Campoamor was damaged in 1934. Tchaikovsky's Troika is noted as one of two encores played. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.