Rachmaninoff: The Last of the Great Romantics

by Michael Scott

A revealing insight into Rachmaninoff's intense and often melodramatic life

The musical child of Russia’s golden age, Sergei Rachmaninoff, was the last of the great Romantics. Scorned by the musical establishment until very recently, his music received hostile reviews from critics and other composers. Conversely, it never failed to find widespread popular acclaim, and today he is one of the most popular composers of all time. Biographer Michael Scott investigates Rachmaninoff’s intense and often melodramatic life, following him from imperial Russia to his years of exile as a wandering virtuoso and his death in Beverly Hills during the Second World War, worn out by his punishing schedule. In this remarkable biography which relates the man to his music, Michael Scott tells the colorful story of a life that spanned two centuries and two continents. His original research from the Russian archives, so long closed to writers from the West, brings us closer to the spirit of a man who genuinely believed that music could be both good and popular, a belief that is now triumphantly vindicated.

306 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Michael Scott was the founder of the London Opera Society. In his role as the society's sole artistic director, he brought to London Marilyn Horne, Joan Sutherland, and Boris Christoff. He was also responsible for introducing Sherrill Milnes, Ruggero Raimondi, and Montserrat Caballé. He was a highly regarded expert in the field of opera with an extensive knowledge of the history of vocal music, and his books include volumes 1 and 2 of The Record of Singing and The Great Caruso. In 1992, he also wrote Maria Meneghini Callas, being one of the few Maria Callas biographers to have seen her frequently on stage in her prime. He was also a contributor to Opera News.

In the review of this book for Opera News, Albert Innaurato writes, "His is the only biography to understand how Callas compares with and differs from Tetrazzini, Ponselle and Patti. And since Scott is neither a hysteric nor a fan, he is just and interesting in comparing Callas with Tebaldi and Sutherland. In fact his crisp, unsentimental manner may unsettle some readers—he responds to Callas as an artist, not as a tragedy queen, and does not linger over her miserable last years or indulge in psychologizing."

Michael Scott died in Minehead, England, on 6 April 2019, at the age of 84.

source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[David Arch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of a chronological accounting and not enough of the essence.
Still, an amazing musician