For three years, following the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, Sergei Rachmaninov was unable to compose.
“I believed I had opened up entirely new paths,” Rachmaninov later recalled. At the work’s premiere in St. Petersburg on March 28, 1897, the 23-year-old composer hid in a backstage fire escape with his ears plugged as a possibly drunk Alexander Glazunov led the underrehearsed orchestra through a passionless reading. The audience reacted with catcalls, and César Cui derided it as music that would “delight the inhabitants of Hell.”
His confidence shattered, Rachmaninov descended into depression. “A paralyzing apathy possessed me,” he wrote in his Memoirs. “I did nothing at all and found no pleasure in anything. Half my days were spent on a couch. I had given up in great despair.”
Rachmaninov recovered with the help of hypnosis treatment, administered by Dr. Nikolai Dahl. The creative block lifted, and on the other side emerged the sensuously melodic, life-affirming Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18. The last two movements were written first, and the first movement was completed in April of 1901. Rachmaninov, one of the greatest pianists of his day, performed it around the world to great acclaim, and dedicated the score to Dr. Dahl.
The first movement (Moderato) begins with the solo piano alone. Majestic, gradually intensifying chords evoke the clamorous peal of Russian orthodox bells. The orchestra enters with a darkly passionate, brooding theme in C minor, which resembles both a solemn chant, and (in the recapitulation) a triumphant march. The melody begins with a whole step oscillation (C-D-C) which recurs throughout the development section, and closes the movement as a dramatic punctuation mark.
The clouds of C minor give way to a serene, sunny E major in the opening measures of the second movement (Adagio sostenuto). Rising over the piano’s arpeggios, the flute, then the clarinet, introduce an expansive melody which is filled with quiet longing. The middle section of the movement ventures into rhapsodic adventures, with dancing lines in the piano conversing with the instrumental voices of the orchestra. From the bassoon and horn, to the viola, each suggests a distinct persona.
The final movement (Allegro scherzando) erupts with ecstatic energy. Following a spirited march, the piano enters with a jubilant, arpeggiated sonic splash, which leaps from the bottom to the top of the keyboard, and back again. The violas and oboe, in unison, introduce the lushly beautiful second theme, before passing it off to the piano. Contrapuntal cat and mouse games in the development section lead to a brief, vibrant fugue. It is the rapturous, expansive second theme which forms the movement’s soaring climax. The final bars surge forward as an affirmation of pure joy.
I. Moderato:
II. Adagio sostenuto:
III. Allegro scherzando:
Five Great Recordings
- Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18, Leif Ove Andsnes, Antonio Pappano, Berlin Philharmonic Amazon
- Krystian Zimerman with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Vladimir Ashkenazy with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra
- Stephen Hough with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Sergei Rachmaninov with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra (1929 recording)
What a story! The terrible injustice done to Rachmaninoff and his First symphony was shocking to learn. But, in the end, he showed them! While listening to the beautiful second movement of the piano concerto, I recalled the first time I’d ever heard it. It was many years ago and used to great effect in a classic British film called “Brief Encounter.” It was unforgettable in the true sense of the word!