Rachmaninoff's First Symphony was reconstructed from surviving orchestral parts by Alexander Ossovsky, Boris Shalman, and Alexander Gauk, as the autograph score is lost.
Composition History
The 1897 premiere of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony was a disaster, leading him to describe it as 'the most agonizing hour' of his life.
Composer Biography
Sergei Rachmaninoff, arguably the last great Romantic composer, is considered one of the best-loved 20th-century composers.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninoff prefaced his D minor Symphony with the Biblical quotation 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' (Romans 12:19), also used in Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina.
Composition History
The conductor for the premiere of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony, Alexander Glazunov, was reportedly drunk, leading to a 'pitifully badly conducted' performance.
Notable Performances
Rachmaninoff's First Symphony was finally introduced to a wider audience in Moscow on October 17, 1945, almost 50 years after its disastrous premiere and two years after the composer's death, where it was a great success.
Critical Reception
After the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, critic César Cui wrote that if there were a conservatory in Hell, a student composing a symphony like Rachmaninoff's would have fulfilled his task brilliantly.
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Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44 & Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
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Rachmaninov: Symphony No.3/Symphonic Dances
Rachmaninov: Symphony No.3; Symphonic Dances
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44 & Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Glazunov: Symphony No. 3 & Concert Waltz No. 2
Glazunov: Symphony No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 16 & Concert Waltz No. 1 in D Major, Op. 47
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, TH 30 "Pathétique" & Polonaise from Eugen Onegin, Op. 24, TH 5
ARSM II, Vol. 22. Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3 - Symphonic Dances
Edvard Grieg: Symphony C Minor / Symphony Dances Op. 64
