RACHMANINOFF-FALZONE CONCERTO N. 2 (Christopher’s Transcription-Performance)

RACHMANINOFF CONCERTO N. 2 (transcribed by Christopher Falzone for solo piano): Christopher Falzone / Piano 1. Moderato 2. Adagio sostenuto 10:57 3. Allegro scherzando 21:24 Live recording © Christopher Falzone / PIANO •*¯`*•●ChF●•*¨¯`*• 2013 © Christopher Falzone Christopher Falzone’s International FanClub obtain a New Premiere of Christopher Falzone’s Original Transcription on live video/audio recording, previously unpublished and never before seen/heard or done anywhere/by anybody else and it is a complete creation. If you’re looking for inspiration from watching other musicians perform or for new ideas, Christopher Falzone’s International FanClub receives inquiries here on the Facebook page with Christopher Falzone’s recordings, in the MP4/MP3 format, available for download any time soon and DVD or CD will be possible to ship. Variety of prices available. and Christopher Falzone from the program on March 7, 2012: The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninov’s music as “monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes“ and predicted that his popular success was “not likely to last“. To this, Harold C. Schonberg, in his Lives of the Great Composers, responded, “It is one of the most outrageously snobbish and even stupid statements ever to be found in a work that is sup-posed to be an objective reference.” While still a student at the Conservatory, 18 year old Rachmaninov met the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who became an important mentor and commissioned the teenage Rachmaninoff to arrange a piano transcription of the suite from his ballet The Sleeping Beauty, which became the first of many brilliant and effective transcriptions Rachmaninov would write over the course of his career. He graduated from the Conservatory in 1892 in an extraordinary class in which he shared the Gold Medal for Piano with Josef Lhevinne and fellow composer-pianist Alexander Scriabin. In November 1918 Rachmaninov sailed for New York and began a career as a touring virtuoso. Each season was divided between the United States, England, and the Continent. Whenever he could, he would go to his house in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he enjoyed boating, driving his car, and composing. His Fourth Piano Concerto (1927), Third Symphony (1936), and Symphonic Dances for Orchestra (1941), Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini for piano and orchestra (1934) became a favorite of pianists and audiences alike and soon rivaled the Second Concerto in popularity. With the outbreak of World War II he moved to Beverly Hills, Calif. During the 1930s and 1940s, Rachmaninov remained one of the highest paid concert stars. At his home on Elm Drive in Beverly Hills Rachmaninov had two Steinway pianos which he played together with Vladimir Horowitz and many more elite musicians. His love of fast cars was second to music, and led him to occasional fines for exceeding the speed limit. Since he bought his first car in 1914, Rachmaninov acquired a taste for fast cars, buying himself a new car every year. His generosity was legendary. He gave away a large sum of money to Igor Sikorsky to start an American helicopter industry. He paid for Vladimir Nabokov and his family relocation from Paris to New York. He sponsored Michael Chekhov and introduced him to Hollywood. Rachmaninov gave numerous charitable performances, and made big donation to the Allies fighting the Nazis during WWII. Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov (1873-1943) was a highly successful composer, an unrivaled pianist, and a distinguished con-ductor. “I have followed three hares, “ he once said. “Can I be certain that I have captured one?“ 2013 ©Christopher Falzone 2014 ©CFLMCR Christopher’s notes of remembrance about Martha Argerich: “At that moment I find out more about Martha’s character. She was so welcoming and hospitable, she was interested in my work in music, in what I learned with Leon Fleisher. She praised my accomplishments, and she especially liked my transcription of Rachmaninoff N.2 With peace of mind let passion out! and sort of enter a very different world to convey my feelings and make it new. The life of artist is very exiting and requires a lot of confidence, courage, flexibility, and creativity. I strove to accomplish the performances with believe in myself.“ - Christopher Falzone 2015 ©CFLMCR