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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained Russell McNeil, PhD Editor, Malaspina Great Books In 1862 the English literary critic and poet Matthew Arnold described Marcus Aurelius as "the most beautiful figure in history." The Stoicism of Aurelius is grounded in rationality and rests solidly on an ethical approach rooted in nature. Stoicism promises real happiness and joy in this life and a serenity that can never be soured by personal misfortune. This philosophy has universal appeal with practical implications on problems ranging from climate change and terrorism to the personal management of sickness, aging, depression and addiction. I truly believe that the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius has much to offer us now...(Click on book cover for more)

Category:	Modern Music
Name:	Sergei Rachmaninov
Birth Year:	1873
Death Year:	1943
Representative Image:
Biography, Lectures, and Research Links:	Biography Blog Sergei Rachmaninov Artist Song Name Composer Composition Instrument Rachmaninov began to study piano with his mother at the age of four. He continued his studies at the St. Petersburg and Moscow conservatories under Zvereff and Arenski. He is considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all times, but is also remembered for his compositions and as a conductor. He fled from Russia, after the Communist Revolution in 1917, and he eventually based himself in the United States where he later became a citizen. His highly successful, but exhausting career as a concert pianist enabled him to support his family but left little time for composition. His music remains an indispensable part of Romantic repertory. The second of Rachmaninov's four piano concertos holds an unchallenged position among Romantic works in this form. Its popularity is closely rivalled by the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", for piano and orchestra. While the Symphonic Dances of 1940 enjoy some popularity, as well as the symphonic poem "The Rock" and the dark-hued "Isle of the Dead", with its recurrent motif from the Latin Requiem Mass, the second of his three numbered symphonies is still more familiar. Rachmaninov's first real success came in 1892 with the Prelude in C sharp minor. Other piano works include the Etudes-tableaux of 1911 and 1916-17, two sonatas, sets of Preludes and Moments musicaux, transcriptions, including the two Kreisler pieces Liebesleid and Liebesfreud, and the impressive Variations on a Theme of Corelli, his last original composition for solo piano, composed in 1931 and based on the popular Baroque dance theme of La Follia, also used by Corelli in a violin sonata. [Adapted from Karadar] The Great Books: Sergei Rachmaninov Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Sergei Rachmaninov. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Sergei Rachmaninov. Post Comments, Questions or Suggestions! This database is maintained by Malaspina Great Books.
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About this Database:

This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of the always controversial Great Books Core List published in 1940 by the late Great Books Pioneer Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Most of the works on that list are available in the 60 volume Great Books of the Western World.