The event began with the requiem in St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliki Novgorod (200 kilometers to the South from St. Petersburg).
Sergei Rakhmaninov, the world renown composer, pianist and conductor was born in Semyonovo village of the Novgorod region.
On December the 18th 1917 Rakhmaninov, who did not recognise the October revolution, left for abroad. From 1918 till the end of his days the composer lived in the USA.
On April 2, on the 131st birthday of Rakhmaninov another requiem will be served at the Christmas cemetery in Veliki Novgorod in memory of his mother, Lyubov Rakhmaninova.
During the Remembrance days Novgorod Musical Culture Centre named after Rakhmaninov will host concerts of Russian music stars. Pianists, laureates of international competitions Sergei Tarasov (Moscow), Andrei Ivanovich (St. Petersburg) and Olga Vinogradova, soloist of the opera and ballet theatre of the St. Petersburg's Conservatory.
Compositions of Sergei Rakhmaninov are included in every concert's programme. Musical rarities exhibition will be held in the musical centre. Rare, published in Rakhmaninov's life time scores of Rakhmaninov and of his mentor Antoni Arenskiy from private collections are on display there.
The Remembrance days closing ceremony is to include a concert of a well known Moscow pianist Andrei Pisarev to be held in Veliki Novgorod on April 26.
Sergei Rakhmaninov remembrance days are held annually. In spring 2003 in the village of Semyonovo a commemorative monument was unveiled. It is a grey granit boulder with one side cut flat. On the polished surface a stave with the main theme of the Concert No. 2 for piano and orchestra by Sergei Rakhmaninov is depicted. (muz/sm)
