I'm with Chaszz on this one. I can't stand most of Rach, though I think the Symphonic Dances are OK. As I've said elsewhere, he's the one composer who is unrepresented in my record and collection. I don't own a single work---not a prelude, not a concerto, nothing. But I undertand the appeal: hummable tunes, overt sentimentality, a nice, fat orchestral sound and a lot of over-the-top action. It's a heady mixture. I wouldn't begrudge anyone their enjoyment.
As Harold Schoenberg said, for all the criticism it has encountered, his music will not go away. Then again, the same could be said of stomach cancer.