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.
December 3 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Scriabin recital program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 5 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina writes: ‘A printed program of this concert has been given to Rachmaninoff by a Russian refugee in Europe. This rare copy is added at present to section 5 of the Rachmaninoff Archive’. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 9 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Scriabin recital program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 10 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina wrote that this recital was given to students of the Conservatory in the morning. She indicated that only Rachmaninoff and Scriabin works were on the program, which itself is of interest, as up to this point in his current tours Rachmaninoff was either exclusively playing his own works, or those of Scriabin, in recitals. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 13 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 14 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that the complete program for this concert is unknown, but in later notes has indicated that included were the Prelude in G flat major, op. 23, no. 10, the Prelude in G major, op. 32, no. 5, the Etudes-Tableaux in F minor and G minor from op. 33. Encores included the Barcarolle, op. 10, no. 3, the Polichinelle, op. 3, no. 4, and the transcription of ‘Lilacs’, op. 21, no. 5. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 16 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 18 1915 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 10 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff recital program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 28 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was a concert for the benefit of the All-Russian Cities Union, and included Scriabin’s Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 53, and ‘Ten Preludes’, along with unknown works by Rachmaninoff. Keldysh (p. 401) believes that the Scriabin program performed on November 24 and December 16 at the end of the previous year was given again here, which would appear to exclude works by Rachmaninoff. St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 3 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this concert was for the benefit of the All-Russian Cities Union, and that it comprised an all-Rachmaninoff program. St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 15 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was an all-Rachmaninoff recital program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
November 29 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the first performance of the Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, although only 8 were included in the set. While the manuscripts for nos. 5 and 9 bear the date 1917, Threlfall and Norris claim that no. 5 was performed. Keldysh (p. 407) indicates that both nos. 5 and 9 were performed, explaining their manuscript dates as due to later polishing, and states that no. 8 (D minor) was written only in early 1917. Keldysh cites reviews that mention specifically Etude-tableau no. 5. Satina indicates that she constructed the program from a review of both this concert and one on December 1, and that it’s not possible to ascertain if Rachmaninoff played 6 Preludes from op. 23 and 6 Preludes from op. 32, or only 6 in total. She also indicates that the Variations on a Theme of Chopin, op. 22, might have been performed at this concert. Keldysh indicates that the program was repeated in St Petersburg on December 1, 8, and 10, although Satina has no record of the last of these dates. St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 1 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the second performance of the Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, although only 8 were included in the set. While the manuscripts for nos. 5 and 9 bear the date 1917, Threlfall and Norris claim that no. 5 was performed. Keldysh (p. 407) indicates that both nos. 5 and 9 were performed, explaining their manuscript dates as due to later polishing, and states that no. 8 (D minor) was written only in early 1917. Keldysh cites reviews that mention specifically Etude-tableau no. 5. Satina indicates that she constructed the program from a review of both this concert and one on November 29, and that it’s not possible to ascertain if Rachmaninoff played 6 Preludes from op. 23 and 6 Preludes from op. 32, or only 6 in total. Keldysh indicates that the program was repeated in St Petersburg on December 8 and 10, although Satina has no record of the last of these dates. St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 5 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the first performance of the still-incomplete set of Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, in Moscow. Satina has placed a question mark next to the venue, presumably indicating that the precise location is uncertain. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 6 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that the program was the same as given in the concert on December 5 1916, also noting that ‘25% of the proceeds were given to the needy Students of the College’. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 8 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina was unable to find details of this program, however Keldysh (p. 407) indicates that it was the same as was performed on November 29 and December 1. However, as Satina indicated a different work beginning each of those concerts, it is not possible ascertain the complete program on this date. Keldysh also believed this program was repeated yet again in St Petersburg on December 10, however Satina does not record a concert on this date. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 11 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 16 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 19 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that she could not find a complete program, but that the concert included Preludes from op. 23 and op. 32, and some Etudes-Tableaux. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 21 1916 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes an all-Rachmaninoff program at this concert. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 9 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: The reference to ‘Fifteen Etudes-Tableaux’ is of interest. Two of the Etudes-Tableaux from op. 39 are dated from February 1917 on their manuscripts, yet nine from this set (including the held-over no. 6 in A minor, originally planned for the op. 33 set) plus the published 6 from the op. 33 set could represent this total number of Etudes-Tableaux. Alternatively, one or two Etudes-Tableaux from op. 33, which were published only posthumously – in C minor and D minor – might have been included, although this perhaps seems less likely. Apetian also noted the same number of Etudes-Tableaux in this concert. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 13 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes an all-Rachmaninoff program at this concert. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 19 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes an all-Rachmaninoff program at this concert. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 26 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes that this was the 6th Concert of the season of the Rostov Branch of Russian Music Society. Satina also indicates that the program included some earlier compositions, including the Polichinelle, op, 3, no. 4, but that the order the pieces were played in is unknown. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 27 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 28 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 29 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program, also that it was an afternoon concert. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
January 31 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina indicates that this was an all-Rachmaninoff program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 21 1917 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina notes Apetian’s claim that Rachmaninoff added one more Etude-Tableau, op. 33, to the program, and that only 4 Preludes were played, citing p. 472-473. While this is the first programmatic reference to the complete set of 'nine' Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, with many programs over the previous month unknown it cannot be ascertained when the complete set was first performed. Satina indicates that 50% of the proceeds from the concert were given ‘to the Russian Musician Fund to help the needy Composers and their families’. St Petersburg was known as Petrograd at this time. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.