“Rachmaninoff and the Myth of Exile”, a talk by Prof Marina Frolova-Walker

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s music is often considered nostalgic, prompted by his long separation from his Russian homeland (the last twenty-five years of his life). But most of his music was written while he still lived in Russia, and many listeners and critics even carry the nostalgia over to this music, as if he pined for home when he was still at home. This lecture aims to disentangle the circumstances of his exile (first in Europe, then the US) from the things that he tried to express or depict in his music. Even though he was quite reticent in this area, we have enough information to reconstruct the ideas and images that inspired him. We will focus on Rachmaninoff’s symphonies, his concertos, and a selection of his solo piano music. We will also try to find the features of his musical scores that prompt us to hear nostalgia, or even cause us to shiver.

When: Friday 6 November 2026, 18:00-20:00 (GMT)

Where: Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College, Cambridge CB2 1TQ (Entrance via St John’s Street, opposite Trinity College’s main gate)

Language: English

Format: In-person & Online via Zoom

In-person tickets: £12 — Standard; £8 — CamRuSS Members

Zoom tickets: £6 – Standard, free – CamRuSS Members

Marina Frolova-Walker is Professor of Music History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, where she is Director of Studies in Music. She is also currently Professor of Music at Gresham College, London.

One of the world’s leading authorities on Russian music, Professor Frolova-Walker has introduced international audiences not only to new repertories, but also to new ways of thinking about established works. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2014, and the recipient of the RMA Dent Medal for her outstanding contribution to musicology, Professor Frolova-Walker is committed to sharing the insights gained from her research with a wider public, through talks, radio and TV appearances, and publications.

• Photos: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920. Bain News Service photograph collection (https://www.loc.gov/item/2014710321/); Marina Frolova-Walker (https://www.marinafrolova-walker.com/); Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff seated at a piano, between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920 (https://www.loc.gov/item/2014710316/)

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