‘Talk by Ruben Goriely’

Of all the composers of the 20th century, few are as accessible as Rachmaninov. But what explains this success? What is it about the theme of the second movement of his Second Piano Concerto that still makes hearts skip a beat when it is covered by Celine Dion in her song All by Myself? Using specific examples, we will zoom in on specific features of his music.​​​​​​​

Ruben Goriely is a researcher at CERMUS (Centre de recherches en Musicologie de l'UCLouvain) and a musicology assistant at the Faculté de Philosophie, Arts et Lettres (FIAL/UCLouvain). His research mainly focuses on the use of voices and orchestration in music of the 19th and 20th centuries.