Dotty Burstein Presents Rachmaninov: A Life in Music

Sergei Rachmaninov's life and career spanned both 19th and 20th centuries; yet his compositions were thoroughly rooted in the Romanticism of the 19th century.  Pieces like the early C-sharp minor Prelude, anticipated as an encore at every Rachmaninov recital; the lyrical Second Piano Concerto, featured prominently in the soundtrack of the 1945 film Brief Encounter; and the technically daunting Third Piano Concerto, popularized by Vladimir Horowitz, often resulted in both huge popular acclaim and fiery attacks by the critics.

The young Rachmaninov, whose family came from old Russian aristocratic roots traceable to the 15th century, was identified early on as musically prodigious.  By age 11, he was being trained, in the strict Russian way, as a conductor, composer, and pianist.  By the time he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory at age 18, Sergei had received the Great Gold Metal, only the third awarded in the history of the Conservatory, and had written an opera, Aleko, based on Pushkin's poem, The Gypsies.  The enormous acclaim that came his way after the premiere of Aleko brought Rachmaninov invitations to conduct, as well as supportive comments by the likes of Tchaikovsky.

Rachmaninov, who like Mendelssohn before him and Bernstein after him, had prepared to function as composer, conductor and pianist.  Given the necessity to flee the Russia he loved and to which he would never return, he was then forced to make a decision about which musical path he would take.  A complex man, subject to bouts of depression and self-doubt, Rachmaninov would experience early loss, periods of compositional shutdown, huge popularity, and the love of family and fans alike in this rich, difficult life.

About the Speaker: Dotty Burstein, a teacher at the Wednesday evening Jenks Education Program, has had a lifelong interest in the intersection of composers' lives and their music.  As such she has developed classes for exploring the music of composers from the Classical and Romantic eras, first at the Tufts Lifelong Learning Institute and currently at the Jenks Center and the new Lexington Lifelong Learning program.  During her musical training, Dotty was inducted into the honorary music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, studied with the composer Edwin Gerschefski and the pianist Edward Kilenyi, and played piano in a trio that included her cellist friend and her violinist sister.  Today, Dotty continues to enjoy attending concerts and recitals and encouraging others to find joy and inspiration in music.
This program is presented by the Education Committee of the Winchester Seniors Association and is supported by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation.  These programs are free and open to the public.