The Songs: An Appreciation

Extract

Critical evaluation of Rachmaninoff's music has been considerable and varied, with both laymen and professional musicians often at swords'-points with regard to the work of the late Russian master. One unfortunate feature of this controversy is that by far the greater attention is paid to the composer's larger pieces, with little consideration given to his most representative and perhaps his finest output—his songs, a situation which extends also to the listening experience of the general public.