Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (Russian: Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов, Sergej Vasil'evič Rahmaninov) (1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He is recognised as a prominent figure in late Romantic-era music, with a style that evolved from early influences such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov to a more individual approach characterised by lyrical melodies, expressive harmonies, and complex textures. The piano played a central role in his compositions, and his experience as a performer informed his writing for the instrument.

Rachmaninoff was born into a musical family and began piano lessons at the age of four. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1892, by which time he had already composed several works. In 1897, after the unsuccessful premiere of his Symphony No. 1, he experienced a period of depression that lasted several years. He resumed composing with the Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1901, which received positive attention. Between 1904 and 1906, he served as conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre and subsequently moved to Dresden, Germany, in 1906. In 1909, he toured the United States as a pianist for the first time.

Following the Russian Revolution, Rachmaninoff and his family emigrated from Russia in 1918, eventually settling in New York. He spent much of the following decades touring in the United States and Europe, and from 1932, he spent summers at his villa in Switzerland. During this period, his focus shifted toward performance, and he composed fewer works, completing six compositions after leaving Russia. In 1942, due to health issues, he relocated to Beverly Hills, California, where he died of melanoma in 1943. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.