Young Rachmaninoff

After the failure of his First Symphony, Rachmaninoff was plunged into a deep depression where he was crippled with self-doubt and unable to compose. In an effort to recover, his family persuaded him to seek help from Dr. Nikolai Dahl, a physician known for his use of hypnotherapy.

Under Dr. Dahl’s care, Rachmaninoff underwent a rigorous process of hypnosis and self-reprogramming. Dr. Dahl would repeat positive affirmations such that he would effortlessly write his most beautiful symphony ever.

The therapy worked. Rachmaninoff gradually regained his composure and creative drive and channeled his renewed energy into composing the Second Piano Concerto. The symphony is his psychological fight out of depression personified, a quest to rediscover waves of tender joy as they are all but enveloped in darkness, ultimately triumphing in a wave of beauty so complete that it feels as if the pain never had to matter at all. Through sculpting him, I hope to honor him and his music, and most importantly, the spirit of determination that refused to give in and allowed him to rediscover and express a beauty so great that it has survived beyond his death to inspire generations.

If you ever have the pleasure of listening to his symphony performed live, I believe the silence before the piece begins and the inevitable uproarious applause after are a part of the composition itself.

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