Sergei Rachmaninoff

A new critical and scholarly study of Rachmaninoff has been long overdue, and Mitchell's compact but well-researched book is an important step forwards. Drawing on a wealth of sources, she follows Rachmaninov's journey from his childhood in a broken family home to his death in his Beverly Hills house a few days before his seventieth birthday. Along the way, she offers much-needed nuances to some of the hoariest myths associated with the composer. -- Gramophone 'Modern, but not modernist' is how Mitchell defines Sergei Rachmaninoff. Composer, conductor, virtuosic performer and celebrity, he was also a market-savvy manager of his own resources, as keen on cutting-edge recording technology as he was on fast cars. Nostalgic? Only when it suited him. To be modern, Mitchell cogently argues, is to take a stand in a world where tradition is forever dissolving. --Caryl Emerson, Princeton University This is a vivid and original portrait of one of the twentieth century's most beloved composers. Rachmaninoff's music ranks among the most popular of any classical composer, yet it has been snubbed by composers and musicologists alike as somehow out of step with its time. This biography should kickstart the long overdue process of a reassessment and rediscovery of Rachmaninoff's career. --Pauline Fairclough, professor of music, University of Bristol, and author of Dmitry Shostakovich