Conductor - Diary entries
Many of the performance details listed here have been compiled from Zarui Apetian’s important research, published in Literaturnoye Nasledie [Collected Literature] (Sovietskii Kompozitor: Moscow, 1980, vol. 3, pp. 439-467). These details have been subsequently cross-referenced and checked with the many itineraries and other corroborating materials collected by Rachmaninoff’s sister-in-law, Sophia Satina, housed in the Rachmaninoff Archive of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C (LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R22, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89). Further information has been gathered from Barrie Martyn’s book Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor (Scolar Press: London, 1990, pp. 532-562), A Catalogue of the Compositions of S. Rachmaninoff by Robert Threlfall and Geoffrey Norris (Scolar Press: London, 1982), and research undertaken at the Glinka Museum of Musical Culture, Moscow.
January 30 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'May Night'. Chaliapin played the role of the Mayor in this production. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 2 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Askold’s Grave'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 3 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'May Night'. Chaliapin played the role of the Mayor in this production. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 8 1898 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Askold's Grave'. This performance was not listed by Apetian, however Val'kova (vol. 1, p. 214) cites press notices that indicate Rachmaninoff conducted the performance of Verstovsky's 'Askold's Grave' at a matinee, before conducting Rimsky-Korsakov's 'May Night' in the evening.
February 8 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'May Night'. Chaliapin played the role of the Mayor in this production. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 12 1898 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Askold's Grave' and 'The Power of the Fiend' (limited acts). This performance was not listed by Apetian, however Val'kova (vol. 1, p. 215) cites press announcements indicating Rachmaninoff conducted these works in a matinee performance, before conducting Rimsky-Korsakov's 'May Night' in the evening. Val'kova records 'The Power of the Fiend' as being by Verstovsky rather than Serov. Val'kova also notes a potential further discrepancy, with Moskovskiye Listok announcing that the performance of the two works was in fact to be conducted by Esposito.
February 12 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'May Night'. Chaliapin played the role of the Mayor in this production. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 13 1898 (Julian Calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Askold's Grave', act 3. Val'kova (vol. 1, p. 215) notes that Apetian did not list this performance, yet she cites a press announcement in Novosti Dnya on February 13 indicating the matinee performance of the two works.
February 15 1898 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'May Night'. Chaliapin played the role of the Mayor in this production. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
April 19 1899
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Solo Pianist
Notes: Satina noted that this was Rachmaninoff’s first appearance in England. The concert was the 3rd in the season of the Philharmonic Society of London. Satina indicated that the program was copied from the book ‘History of the Philharmonic Society of London: 1813-1912’, p. 462. The attached reviews note that Rachmaninoff's Prelude was repeated by request. The aria by Borodin ('Медленно день угасал') is from Act 2 of the opera. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
February 17 1900 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Chamber Musician
Notes: Details of this concert are in the Russian National Museum of Music (formerly known as the Glinka Museum). Neither Satina nor Martyn list the event. Songs and arias with Chaliapin could be similar to works performed in concerts on March 9 and December 2 later this year.
March 11 1902 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: Threlfall and Norris note the first performance of Rachmaninoff's cantata 'Spring', op. 20, on this date, but indicate that Siloti conducted. Yet Keldysh (p. 203) believed that the composer conducted, citing press reviews. Specifically, from Moskovskiye Vedomosti on March 13: 'Despite Rachmaninoff's confident conducting, noted in the press reviews, it [the performance of 'Spring'] was not entirely successful'. The attached review from Russkaya Muzikal'naya Gazeta, while praising the work, did not note the conductor. It might be that Siloti conducted the other works on the program.
March 26 1902 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: Satina cited Apetian (p. 207) as her reference. Martyn, p. 536, indicated that Siloti conducted the symphonic works on the program. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
December 13 1903 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor and Chamber Musician
Notes: Satina was unaware of the complete program, which is given in full in Barber's biography of Siloti (p. 263). LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 3 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Rusalka'. Keldysh (p. 210) noted that while Rachmaninoff was scheduled to have conducted the season-opening performance of Glinka's 'A Life for the Tsar', delays in that production meant this was his first appearance conducting opera at the Bolshoi Theatre. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 10 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Eugene Onegin'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 15 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Rusalka'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 17 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Prince Igor'. Keldysh (p. 213) noted Chaliapin in the role of Galitsky in this performance. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 20 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Rusalka'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 21 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'A Life for the Tsar'. Keldysh (p. 213) provided details of this entirely new production of Glinka's opera which, controversially, sought to restore the composer's original intentions, quoting highly laudatory reviews of Rachmaninoff's conducting. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 22 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Eugene Onegin'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 23 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Rusalka'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 28 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Prince Igor'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
September 30 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'A Life for the Tsar'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 1 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'The Queen of Spades'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 4 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'A Life for the Tsar'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 5 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'A Life for the Tsar'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 12 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'Rusalka'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 15 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'The Queen of Spades'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.
October 21 1904 (Julian calendar)
Rachmaninoff's role: Conductor
Notes: 'A Life for the Tsar'. LoC, Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive, ML31.R33, Papers of Sophie Satin, boxes 82-89.