GOODBYE RUSSIA – a book review

Goodbye, Russia: Rachmaninoff In Exile is a warm, deeply informative portrait of one of the world’s greatest composers and pianists. Musicians, especially, will appreciate the vivid descriptions of Rachmaninoff’s struggles to compose and perform while enduring war, illness, exile, heartbreak, and the occasional sharp-tongued jealousy of fellow composers such as Sergei Prokofiev.

As a boy learning and playing the famous Prelude in C-sharp minor, I remember being told the eerie, and untrue story that the piece portrayed someone buried alive inside a coffin, pounding desperately against the impossibly heavy lid until suffocation claimed them. I, in turn, repeated the tale each time I performed the music.

And, of course, there were the endless comments everyone made about Rachmaninoff himself: “The hands! The hands! The size of those hands!”

This biography is filled with fascinating stories, musical insights, and historical detail. It is impossible not to become completely engrossed in Rachmaninoff’s remarkable life and extraordinary talent.