Once acclaimed as the heir apparent to Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff fled Soviet Russia in 1918 only to discover that Western music critics and intellectuals had begun to reject the Romantic voice of his youth. This series, through lecture, recorded examples, and live performance examines the post–World War I climate that Rachmaninoff encountered—and his heroic struggle against those forces.

A list of the music played and biographical references is available here