Rachmaninoff’s musical biography portrayed by Felder

By Eileen Wingard

SAN DIEGO — The life of Sergei Rachmaninoff is the subject of actor/writer/ pianist Hershey Felder’s play with music, Nicholas, Anna and Sergei. Seen under the auspices of JFest, the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lipinsky Jewish Arts Festival, the virtual production, streaming from Florence, Italy, and available through May 23, features other participants, in addition to Felder.

It runs for two hours and traces the life of the great Russian composer from his early unhappy childhood through his teens, living with an uncle, his marriage to his cousin Natalia, their leaving their beloved Russia because of the Revolution, settling in Switzerland, finally coming to New York and ending up in Beverly Hills, where in 1943, Rachmaninoff dies.

There is footage of WWI, of the Revolution and of the Czar’s family being executed.

Rachmaninoff came from an aristocratic family that traced its heritage to a Prince of Moscow and were landowners of an estate called Ivanovka, where Rachmaninoff had a beautiful garden. He continued to cultivate gardens wherever he resided.

Because of his strong use of melody, he is often considered the successor of Tchaikowsky. He also is known for the melancholy that pervades his music and the influence of bells, the church bells of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Rachmaninoff’s devoted wife is portrayed by soprano and actress Ekaterina Siurina, whose beautiful singing of his “Vocalise,” bookends the production. Actor J. Anthony Crane takes several roles, including that of Czar Nicholas and the doctor who helps Rachmaninoff overcome his depression through hypnosis.

Throughout, Felder plays many of Rachmaninoff’s most beloved works, from his Prelude in C# minor, composed when Sergei was a lad of 14, to his familiar Second Piano Concerto, and his Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, performed with Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. The imposter, Anastasia, has a pivotal role at the end. Rachmaninoff, always longed to return to his beloved Russia. In exile, he surrounded himself with Russian food, Russian culture and Russian emigré friends, many of whom he assisted.

Felder once again, in a full blown production with additional actors, unlike his solo portrayals of Gershwin, Bernstein, Chopin, Debussy, gives us a comprehensive biographical account of the life of one of the greatest composers. The play is enhanced with beautifully rendered musical examples of Rachmaninoff’s prodigious output. This engaging virtual play, with its many actors and a full orchestra, is an impressive expansion of Felder’s work.

*
Eileen Wingard is a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra as well as a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.  She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com