Sergei Rachmaninoff ~ April 1, 1873 ~ March 28, 1943

Photo:wikipedia.com

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов, tr. Sergej Vasil'evič Rahmaninov) (1 April 1873 [O.S. 20 March] – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, very nearly the last great representative of Russian late Romanticism in classical music. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom which included a pronounced lyricism, expressive breadth, structural ingenuity and a tonal palette of rich, distinctive orchestral colors.

The piano features prominently in Rachmaninoff's compositional output, either as a solo instrument or as part of an ensemble. He made it a point to use his own skills as a performer to explore fully the expressive possibilities of the instrument. Even in his earliest works, he revealed a sure grasp of idiomatic piano writing and a striking gift for melody.

Text:wikipedia.com

Sergei Rachmaninoff died only four days before his 70th birthday in the middle of World War II.