KNOXVILLE—Legendary Russian composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff performed his final public concert in what was formerly the Alumni Gymnasium on the UT campus on Feb. 17, 1943. He died five weeks later.
UT will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Rachmaninoff's final performance with an 8 p.m. concert on Sunday, Feb. 17, featuring internationally acclaimed Russian pianist Evgheny Brakhman.
The celebration, "Rachmaninoff Remembered," will take place in the Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building, the same building where Rachmaninoff played. It is free and open to the public.
Brakhman will perform an all-Rachmaninoff program, including 6 Etudes-Tableaux op. 33 and 39; Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op. 42; 6 Preludes op. 23 and 32; and Sonata No. 2, op. 36.
The UT School of Music and the UT College of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Evelyn Miller Young Pianist Series, are presenting the event.
Rachmaninoff was a towering figure in late 19th and early 20th century music. He was renowned as a composer, conductor and one of the brilliant pianists of his time, officials said.
He was born in Russia in 1873 and achieved great success as a young pianist and composer.
A statue honoring the pianist/composer is at the World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville. It is entitled "Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert" and was created by sculptor Victor Bokarov.