On the phenomenal hands of Sergei Rachmaninoff
In his book Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings, Max Harrison states that the virtuoso English pianist Cyril Smith once said that Rachmaninoff "could with his left hand stretch C–E-flat–G–C–G and the right could manage C (second finger)–E–G–C–E (thumb under)." Try it yourself. This is an amazing stretch!