Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a thoroughly personal idiom notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness, dense contrapuntal textures, and rich orchestral colours. The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff's compositional output and he used his skills as a performer to fully explore the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument.
Rachmaninoff in 1921
Rachmaninoff at age 10 in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Alexander Siloti and Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff in 1897, the year his Symphony No. 1 premiered
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz, blues, and popular music, including rock and roll. Most pianists can, to an extent, easily play other keyboard instruments such as the synthesizer, harpsichord, celesta, and the organ.
Sergei Rachmaninoff at the piano
Tord Gustavsen playing piano during a concert at the 2016 Oslo Jazz Festival in Norway
An amateur pianist playing outdoors at Pike Place market in Seattle.