Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)
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Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18, is considered one of the greatest piano concertos ever composed and a definitive work of the late Romantic Era. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist in December 1900. The complete work was premiered, again with the composer as soloist, on October 27, 1901.
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[edit] Origins
The 1897 premiere of Rachmaninoff's first symphony, though now considered a significant achievement, was derided by critics. Compounded by problems in his personal life, Rachmaninoff fell into a depression that lasted for several years. His second piano concerto confirmed his recovery from clinical depression and writer's block. The concerto was dedicated to the man who helped cure Rachmaninoff from his nervous breakdown: Nikolai Dahl.
[edit] Orchestration
This concerto is scored for an orchestra that calls for the following:
[edit] Concerto
It is written in a traditional concerto form:
- Moderato
- Adagio sostenuto
- Allegro scherzando
[edit] Moderato
Before the introduction of the main theme, the concerto begins with a series of slow steeple bell-like tollings, a subtle eight bar chord progression marked poco a poco crescendo steadily rocking against a solo contrabass 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, which is primarily composed of tuplets that are sometimes 9, 8, 7, or 6 eighth notes per half-note. One of the unusual features of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto is the notable lack of focus on the soloist during the first movement. After the bell tollings, the main theme is introduced by the strings, clarinet, and sometimes bassoons and dramatic horns who continue to carry the melody until the piano breaks off into its first solo statement. The movement comes to a climax with the piano playing a dramatic theme which is contrapuntal to the main melody, which again appears in the strings. After a shorter mellow section, in which the lyrical theme is repeated, the piano makes a quick crescendo in a two-on-three rhythm into a dark ending in C Minor.
Note that some pianists play the beginning bell-like tollings extremely slowly to imitate actual large bells ringing in Moscow.
[edit] Adagio sostenuto
The opening section of the second movement contrasts sharply with the whirlwind ending of the previous movement. It may be considered an allusion to the beginning of the first movement—a series of slow chords marked crescendo, which leads into a slow adagio. The inclusion of an inner fast section is a technique also used by Rachmaninoff in his third piano concerto. After a short introduction by the orchestra, the piano plays a background figure in a contrary meter (three over four), which gives an air of calm and provides a beautiful accompaniment for the clarinet, playing the main theme. The music eventually picks up, with the piano playing a slightly more agitated version of the theme. The climax is reached in a dramatic but not very melodic section of quick piano solos. At the end of the quick section, the piano reintroduces its original figure, which soon leads into the most expressive part of the entire movement, the piano playing large chords over a rolling bass and backed by the quiet orchestra. The long, drawn end is capped by a soft E major chord by the piano.
[edit] Allegro scherzando
The third movement is lighter in scope, but still full of contrast. Technically, it is extremely difficult and boasts awkward hand positions at very high speeds. The orchestra begins this movement quietly as well, but it is a much quicker, more anxious feel. After reaching a climax, the orchestra gives a final blast and leaves the piano to bring in its first passage, marked 'quasi glissando', a fiendishly quick run up and down the keyboard. After a short few bars of dramatic solo runs (ending in a ten-on-four scale), the orchestra comes back in to play call-and-response with the piano. This section follows the same progressions as the tolling bell passage in the first movement. A climax and a withdrawal leave the audience unprepared for the bold orchestral statement which leads into one of the most technically dazzling and difficult passages, the main minor theme played over triplets at an incredible speed. This leads into a skittish section of two-on-three solo work in the high register which, while it sounds more difficult, is actually more patterned and easier for the pianist to grasp. The triplet melody repeats, and the piano leads from C minor to E-Flat Major. The new melody is fairly slow and simple, but the pianist is still playing quick runs to keep up. This is where the pattern of playing one note and then a third is first introduced. Following a section of single notes and thirds, the orchestra blares out long and loud, while the piano plays the main theme in massive chords. At the conclusion of this, the music takes a breath before the pianist makes a grandiose transition to the lyrical theme, which is then picked up by the orchestra. The piano repeats the lyrical theme, then goes into a mysterious section of triplets and trills. A passage marked 'Allegro Scherzando' for the piano brings things back up to speed; the orchestra gives the original blaring notes it played before the piano's first entrance. This section might seem almost dance-like, were it not so loud and passionate. The piano eventually takes a light run and speeds up into very difficult lines of the whole piece: playing chromatic octave runs at an incredible pace. This, interspersed with the one note and a third pattern, leads into a yelling match between the soloist and the orchestra. The piano eventually calms the music down, and the orchestra begins a fugue, with the piano following shortly after. A dark and mysterious section is followed by a tricky staccato passage in octaves. This leads to a variation on the main theme, with both hands playing large chords at yet another unbelievable tempo. From there, a descending theme of piano runs brings things back down to another octave passage, this time legato. The next section is almost the same as the original lyrical section, in D-Flat instead of B-Flat. The mysterious triplet section this time caps of nicely and leaves the orchestra playing variations on the main theme. The piano eventually enters quietly in D Major. This capitulates in quick octaves of A that cover every A on the top half of the piano. This gives into a romantic section where the piano part resembles the first movement, background runs and arpeggios to back the orchestra. Next comes a triplet theme, followed by a long couple scales in octaves, which crescendo to a broad climax, which the piano brings back down in volume, only to build again and let the orchestra blast their chord pattern. The last chord is again followed by a 'quasi glissando' with only slight changes. This section, the cadenza, is much like the opening piano part, only much more dramatic and virtuostic. Ending on a G7 Chord, the orchestra and piano come back in trimphantly in a C-Major restatement of the lyrical melody, the orchestra with the tune and the piano with massive supporting chords. This end on a D7 chord, leaving the piano to make a few last whirling statements before the work comes to a close in a majestic C Major. It is also noted that Rachmaninoff ends the concerto with his signature 4 note ending which consists of one quarter note, 2 eighth notes, and a quarter note. He uses this same feature for his later and even more technically demanding, Third Piano Concerto[citation needed]
[edit] Notes
- It should be noticed that the movements have a natural order and structure when played together; The first begins in F Minor and ends in C Minor. The Second begins in C Minor and ends in E. The Third begins in E and ends in C.
- Rachmaninoff himself released recordings of all the piano concertos he wrote; in the third movement of this concerto, he himself commented that most people should be able to play it better than he did. The opening passage, 'quasi glissando', is not up to the standard that most recording companies would expect.
- Rachmaninoff commented several times that he believed all musical works should move towards one point, and he refused to do anything that would take away from the climax, such as be overly dramatic at any other section. This can be heard in his recording of the third movement; at the beginning of the recapitulation after the cadenza, it is apparent that Rachmaninoff is going much faster than conductor Leopold Stokowski would have, and the piano can be heard, at first, coming in significantly before the orchestra as Stokowski rushes to keep up.
[edit] Today
No.2 is now one of the most popular piano concertos worldwide, and is performed often. Multiple recordings exist, featuring pianists such as Van Cliburn, Arthur Rubinstein, Yefim Bronfman, Byron Janis, Sviatoslav Richter, Alexis Weissenberg, Philippe Entremont, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Chuan Li, Benno Moiseiwitsch, and the composer himself.
Arrangements of the first or second movement have been used in the routines of several notable figure skaters, including Sasha Cohen, Fumie Suguri, Mishkutenok/Dmitriev, Jeffrey Buttle, and Chen Lu.
A very notable performance of the concerto is by the pianist Walter Gieseking conducted by Willem Mengelberg. Rachmaninoff is said to have complimented Gieseking for playing it better than he himself did.[citation needed]
[edit] In popular culture
- The concerto, especially the last movement, is mentioned favorably by the heroes of Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead.
- The adagio sostenuto is the basis for the melodic theme of the 1976 pop/rock hit "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen.
- The adagio sostenuto is also the basis for the popera song "Nostalgia" by Amici Forever.
- The allegro scherzando theme is the basis for Frank Sinatra's 1945 "Full Moon And Empty Arms".
- The Muse song "Space Dementia" quotes a section of the moderato exactly.
- The concerto has also been mentioned in several movies, including: The Seven Year Itch, where Marilyn Monroe says: "Every time I hear it I go to pieces!"; Brief Encounter; The World of Henry Orient; Rhapsody; Center Stage; and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
- The concerto was played by a character on the TV series Smallville.
- The concerto was featured in the anime Nodame Cantabile, with the piano solo played by Shinichi Chiaki, and the orchestra conducted by Franz von Stresemann.
[edit] Recordings
- Link to download music - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 recording from Musopen.
[edit] Further reading
- W.R. Anderson: Rachmaninov and his pianoforte concertos. A brief sketch of the composer and his style. London 1947
- So-Ham Kim Chung: An analysis of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 in C Minor opus 18. Aids towards performance. Dissertation Ohio 1988
[edit] External links
- Full Score of the Concerto
- Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra An analysis of Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra including the Piano Concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody
- Geoff Kuenning article on the Concerto @ UCLA
- A breakdown of the work @ The Flying Inkpot.com
