What I think of him:
Many composers, especially Russian composers had been confirming Rachmaninoff's statue in the Russian Romantic Music. Nonetheless, Stravinsky conjured up the classic image of Rachmaninoff as six feet of Russian gloom, at least hinting at this position as the last of the great Russian Romantics. For many years some musicians considered him more a pianist who had struck lucky in a few works, notably the Second Piano Concerto, but Sergei composed more than just that, his symphonies are among the most expressive for orchestra. Now with the help of recordings his reputation has never been higher. His music is easily distinguished by its melodic style, which is derived from Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and others. However, he was able to transform his melodies of Chopin into flawless orchestra without too much harsh orchestration of Tchaikovsky. These are the traits that makes Rachmaninoff unique; a good example is the deeply poetic melody that opens the Third Piano Concerto. He had a profound sense of beauty, creating the most ravishing effects out of apparently simple musical ideas in fleeting moments which linger long in the memory. Listening to Rachmaninoff can be as enjoyalbe as viewing at a river or sea. His music would sound like a simple tune going one way without listening too close. But once you are complete sinked into his music, you will find the variety of the music going many different ways. This feeling always reminds me of river and sea.