| Piano Concerto No. 2 (rachmaninoff) |
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ORIGINS The 1897 premier of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony , though now considered a significant achievement, was derided by critics. This, combined with problems in his personal life, sent Rachmaninoff into a depression that lasted for several years. Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto heralded the official recovery from his years living under Depression and Writer's Block . CONCERTO It is written in a traditional concerto form: #''Moderato'' #''Adagio sostenuto'' #''Allegro scherzando'' The second piano concerto is known for its difficulty and the size of the hands required to play this piece. At some parts of the concerto, the pianist is required to stretch one hand 9 Whole Step s (a very large interval to reach on the Piano ). Moderato Before the introduction of the main theme, the concerto begins with a series of slow steeple bell-like tollings, a Crescendo ing eight Bar subtle Chord Progression steadily rocking against a solo ultra-low F . This unique introduction immediately establishes to the listener the underlying spirit of Russian Nationalism definitive of musical styles during the Late Romantic Era. The chords continue to grow with tension until eventually bursting into a torrent of rhythmic piano accompaniment to the main theme. One of the unusual features of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto is the notable lack of focus on the Soloist during the opening movement. After the bell tollings, the main theme is introduced by the Strings who continue to carry the melody until the piano breaks off into its first solo statement. Adagio sostenuto The opening section of the second movement contrasts sharply with the whirlwind ending of the previous movement. In what perhaps may be considered an allusion to the beginning of the first movement, a series of slow crescendoing chords are again introduced by the piano building with tension until this time instead relaxing after climax into a slow to the flurry is a slow Adagio . Allegro scherzando The third movement, a lighter though extremely difficult Scherzo , features the recurrence of the theme first heard in the first movement and ends with a typical Rachmaninoff -esque loud rhythmic ending. TODAY No.2 is now one of the most popular piano concertos worldwide, and is performed often. Multiple recordings exist, featuring pianists Byron Janis , Sviatoslav Richter , Alexis Weissenberg , Vladimir Ashkenazy , Lang Lang , and Chuan Li . Arrangements of the first movement have been used in the routines of several notable Figure Skater s, including Sasha Cohen , Fumie Suguri , and Mishkutienok / Dimitriev . Lu Chen used the second movement in the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships and earned two 6.0s. IN POPULAR CULTURE
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