Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

You know this music - it is perhaps the most famous romantic music used in film scores.  You've heard this a lot, in movie after movie.  It will start out unfamiliar, but just after 15:00 into this performance you will find yourself humming along.

Rachmaninoff was born in 19th century Russia but had to leave with his family after the revolution, settling in the United States.  He was initially known more as a concert pianist - his famously large hands combined with a precise playing style made him popular on the touring circuit.  This actually consumed much of his time, and he had relatively few compositions.  This is one of his most successful, although it had a rather unbelievably cool reception at first.

Critics - what are ya going to do?