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Composer of the Week

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)

Episode 2

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 3Latest broadcast: on BBC Radio 3

In this week's edition of Composer of the Week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Sergei Rachmaninov.

In Tuesday's programme, Rachmaninov hits a three-year creative roadblock. He visits his hero Tolstoy hoping for a pep talk, but instead finds a 'thoroughly disagreeable man'. Eventually he gets back on track with the help of a noted Moscow hypnotist, Dr Dahl, who manages to snap him out of his lethargy. Then the floodgates opened - the results included his opera Francesca da Rimini, the 2nd Piano Concerto, one of his most enduringly popular works, and the Cello Sonata - Donald Macleod introduces extracts from all of these. Show less

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