Late-Romantic Composer: Nikolai Zverev Sergei Rachmaninoff

Musical conductors are individuals that help direct a musical performance. They will ensure that the band is in the right tempo and that each section of the ensemble enters the performance at the correct time. The conductors may use hand gestures or a baton in order to guide the band. Many people believe that musical conductors are beneficial and help improve a band’s performance. However, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky disapproves of the usage of musical conductors as he believes that they are useless. Through comparisons and sarcastic language, Stravinsky criticizes the egotistical personalities and deceitful nature of musical conductors.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the author of six symphonies and the finest and most popular operas in the Russian repertory. Tchaikovsky was also one of the founders of the school of Russian music. He was a brilliant composer with a creative imagination that helped his career throughout many years. He was completely attached to his art. His life and art were inseparably woven together. "I literally cannot live without working," Tchaikovsky once wrote, "for as soon as one piece of work is finished and one would wish to relax, I desire to tackle some new work without delay." The purpose of this paper is to give you a background concerning Tchaikovsky's biography, as well as to discuss his various works of

The video Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no.2 op.18 by Anna Fedorova was composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff, who was a composer, conductor and also among the top pianists and was considered a great representative of Idealization in classical music in Russia. The piece made him famous as a concerto composer as it is among the most favorite pieces. This artist tirelessly worked hard before producing this piece of work as he knew how original and strong the Symphony work was. He made daily visits to Dr. Nicolai Dahl, who was an excellent violist and cellist and also travelled to Italy and Crimea, from where he brought with him sketches for this piano concerto. Anna Fedorova, the Ukrainian pianist, then performed it with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie with Martin Panteleev as the conductor.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is perhaps the most infamous Russian composer ever. Although he was not mentally unstable, Tchaikovsky suffered from volatile emotions ,much like Beethoven, which is displayed in Tchaikovski’s music. Tchaikovsky is well known for his symphonies and delightful ballets.

It was during his tenure at Moscow Conservatory that Tchaikovsky wrote “Swan Lake” (his first ballet), “Eugene Onegin” (his first opera), his first four symphonies for orchestra, and his widely popular Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23. Throughout the middle of his life, Tchaikovsky experienced traumatic life experiences; from failed relationships and homosexual struggles that caused him personal grief, to an attempted suicide in 1877, his emotional turmoil forced doctors to order him to leave Russia for his own well being. It was during his time in Europe and Switzerland that Tchaikovsky composed his Violin Concerto in D and completed his Symphony No. 4, which was inspired by folk songs of his homeland. Tchaikovsky also played an important role in the musical development of Sergei Rachmaninoff, as Rachmaninoff studied Tchaikovsky’s music under the tutelage of composer Aleksandr Zverev. Tchaikovsky also promoted Rachmaninoff’s opera “Aleko” to the point of the work being accepted and performed in the repertoire at Moscow’s Bolshoi

He enjoyed compositions and appreciated the piano, but never was able to fully commit his time to the musicians life. In fact, Tchaikovsky was on the track to become a lawyer. It wasn’t until he heard a piece of Mozart's music that he was inspired to devote his life to this art. At this time in his life, Tchaikovsky mother, whom he loved dearly, had passed away. This left him temperamental and often lost in melancholy. To add to his troubles, Tchaikovsky suffered from epilepsy, migraines, insomnia, and attacks of depression. But it was because of these torments that Tchaikovsky threw himself into music, creating pieces that reflected his introspect. When overwhelmed, he would escape into music, composing vigorously some of his more cheerful and lighthearted pieces. Ironic that a man as heavy-hearted as Tchaikovsky could create the smooth and relaxing compositions he

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7th, 1840 in Kamsko-Votkinsk. His father, Ilya Petrovich, was a mining engineer and Chief Inspector of the metal works and his mother was Alexandra Tchaikovsky. It was from her that Tchaikovsky inherited his depressed personality. Tchaikovsky developed his love of music from listening to tunes from Italian operas played on the family’s orchestrion – a mechanical barrel-organ which roughly reproduced musical sounds. In September 1844, Tchaikovsky’s mother was visiting St. Petersburg when her husband proudly reported that Tchaikovsky and his sister, Sasha, had written a song called, “Our Mama in Petersburg.”

He was then offered lodging and support for five years if he agreed to serve as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory (Harmon). He worked there until he decided to resign due to rumors of his sexuality. He was able to do so because of his benefactress, Madame von Meck. Because Madame von Meck was such a wealthy investor, Tchaikovsky was able to devote himself to composition and travel freely, but only under the condition that they never meet (Taruskin). He wrote his 4th symphony dedicated to Von Meck, which he was able to conduct without fear. Before, he feared that he would lose his head while conducting and would often use his left hand to hold his head in place. His first official commission was for writing the overture for the marriage of Tsarevich Alexander and Princess Dagmar of Denmark. This was the kick-start to Tchaikovsky 's career. (Harmon)

In this music school, Chopin studied under Polish composer named Josef Elsner and pianist Wilhelm Wurfel. In 1828, Chopin decided to go to Vienna and gain wider musical experience. A year after, he made his performance in there and composed Piano Concerto No.2 in F Minor and Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor. His first études were also written between 1829 to 1832 and this allowed him to notice technical difficulties in his new style of piano playing. He continued his performance in Poland, Germany, Austria and Paris. In 1832, Chopin decided to settle in Paris and he changed his name from Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin to Frédéric François Chopin. He also built relationships with fellow composers, including Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Vincenzo Bellini and Felix Mendelssohn. After his first Paris concert on the same year he settled in Paris, Chopin realized that not everyone likes his delicate style on keyboard in larger concert spaces. Although he was not favoured by large concert audiences at all, Chopin was soon employed in the great parlors of Paris as a recitalist and a teacher. His raise in earnings allowed him to live well and during this time, he composed pieces like Ballade in G Minor, Fantaisie Impromptu, Nocturnes of

Modest Mussorgsky was a Russian child born into a noble family. At a young age, his mother was giving him piano lessons since she was an esteemed pianist herself. A few years later and he was already performing the John Field concerto and works by Franz Liszt. At 10, he went to the prestigious Peterschule, or St. Peter's School. He even published his own musical work called "Porte-enseigne Polka." However, his family had a tradition of military service, which meant ripping Mussorgsky out of his musical comfort zone. The Cadet School was savage; it was a melting pot of different kinds of people. It's director was proud when a drunk cadet returned from leave.

As a kid, he was never happy, because he felt neglected and hated. Music was his only happiness and he started taking piano lessons at a very young age. Moreover, in 1890, Tchaikovsky’s famous ballot “The Sleeping Beauty”, made Stravinsky fell in love even more with music after this orchestral performance. Even though he mastered Mendelssohn’s piano concerto (G minor) and he attempted a piano reduction of Glazunov’s string quartets, his parents wanted him to become a lawyer but his real passion was music. He did take a few classes for the law school and received a half-course diploma in law, because he could not take his law finals. Only after his father’s death, Stravinsky started taking music more

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is one of the most prominent and well-known composers of the twentieth century. A Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, Stravinsky quickly rose to international fame with his ballets, The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and Rite of Spring (1913). These ballets were tonally and rhythmically complex, giving Stravinsky a reputation of pushing musical boundaries.

Frédréic Chopin was a composer and virtuoso pianist. Chopin was a world-renowned pianist and is still known by many. During his life he wrote 17 songs, all of which are romantic. All of the songs that he wrote he played himself. Chopin was such a scholar that even as a child, in 1818, he played in salons. He even wrote his own compositions, such as Polonaise in G minor. By 1826 he had composed many different piano pieces in different styles. He was so good that his parents enrolled him in Warsaw Conservatory of Music. He studied there for three years with his teacher Josef Elsner, who was also a composer. After the three years, his parents felt that he needed a

Rachmaninoff was born in Russia on March, 1873 and died in 1943. He was considered the last great figure of the traditional Russian Romanticism and a leading piano virtuoso of his time. He studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with the pianist, Nikolay Zverev. His early reputation, both as composer and pianist, was launched by two compositions: the Prelude in C-sharp minor and Piano Concerto No.2. Among all the concertos, Piano concerto No.3 was the last piano concerto he composed especially for his first concert tour in the United States which brought him the fame in U.S. With the strong influence of Mily Balakirev, Mussorgsky and Nikolai Karlovich Medtner whom Rachmaninoff considered the greatest contemporary composer, many of Rachmaninoff’s

From September of 1850 to May of 1859, Tchaikovsky attended the School of Jurisprudence. At this boarding school in St. Petersburg, he received an excellent education and further pursued his interest in music. During this time,