Here’s why Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is an unassailably epic work of genius

8 November 2024, 14:07

By Classic FM

@ClassicFM

It’s one of the greatest works in the piano repertoire, and it first captivated listeners 123 years ago today.

On this day, 9 November, in 1901 in Moscow, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 premiered with the composer as soloist at the keys.

But how did this work of genius, with a melody in its second movement that gave way to one of the most famous pop ballads ever written, come to be?

Let’s start by having a listen...

Arsha Kaviani plays beautiful second movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2

When Sergei Rachmaninov started composing this towering piano masterpiece in 1900, he was in a terrible emotional state after having been absolutely pilloried in the press for his Symphony No.1 a couple of years before.

Rachmaninov would have been unable to compose anything were it not for the therapy he received from a man called Nikolai Dahl, to whom the concerto was dedicated.

Rachmaninov later recalled, “I heard the same hypnotic formula repeated day after day while I lay half asleep in the armchair in Dahl’s study. ‘You will write a Concerto … You will work with great facility … It will be excellent.’

“Although it may sound incredible, this cure really helped me. By the autumn, I had finished two movements of the Concerto,” the composer recalled.

Thanks to his course of hypnotherapy, Rachmaninov was once again capable of inventing soaring melodies and crunchy piano parts. The second piano concerto was Rachmaninov’s comeback and it was a huge commercial smash. Just what he needed.

What does the concerto sound like?

It starts with nothing but piano. Then the first movement becomes a storm of different themes, handed around the piano and the rest of the orchestra in a maelstrom of interconnectivity, until the towering ending, a huge clatter in C minor.

The second movement is an epoch of sentimentality, the very apogee of emotion, partly thanks to the film Brief Encounter. The director David Lean chose to employ the second Piano Concerto to capture the emotion felt, but not fully expressed, by star-crossed lovers Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.

That main melody is so good, that Eric Carmen nabbed the melody for his song ‘All By Myself’, later covered famously by Celine Dion.

Read more: Why ‘All By Myself’ sounds uncannily like Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2

It’s not all about the second movement, though – the finale is a beast. There’s plenty of meat to it, but it’s worth just having a little look at the very end, where the speed suddenly lurches out of control and hurtles towards a truly thudding climax.

While challenging for the small-handed musician, it’s the perfect piece for pianists who want to impress.

The Moscow premiere was a resounding success, establishing Rachmaninov’s place in the musical hall of fame forever. This year, it was voted the greatest piece of classical music ever written in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2024.