Elger Niels

This coming Saturday, 83 years after Rachmaninoff's death, the Rachmaninoff Network will publish the video production ‘Sergei Rachmaninoff & Willem Mengelberg - Legacy of a Friendship’ on its YouTube channel. The focus is on the friendship between Sergei Rachmaninoff and the legendary Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg, whose 155th birthday falls on that same March 28, 2026.

During our work at villa SENAR we found numerous traces that give colour and personal meaning to Rachmaninoff's remarkably diverse entourage. Arthur Hirst is one of the many friends from Rachmaninoff’s inner circle who seem all but forgotten today.

First glimpse into Rachmaninoff’s Collection of Printed Sheet Music