Piano Concerto No.2, Mvt.3 // RACHMANINOFF

The Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a concerto for piano and orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900. The complete work was premiered, again with the composer as soloist, on 9 November 1901, with his cousin Alexander Siloti conducting. This piece is one of Rachmaninoff's most enduringly popular pieces, and established his fame as a concerto composer. At its 1897 premiere, Rachmaninoff's first symphony, though now considered a significant achievement, was derided by contemporary 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, cured by courses of hypnotherapy and psychotherapy and helped by support from his family and friends. The concerto was dedicated to Nikolai Dahl, the physician who had done much to restore Rachmaninoff's self-confidence. The last movement opens with a short orchestral introduction that modulates from E (the key of the previous movement) to C minor, before a piano solo leads to the statement of the agitated first theme. After the original fast tempo and musical drama ends, a short transition from the piano solo leads to the second theme lyrical theme in B flat major is introduced by the oboe and violas. This theme maintains the motif of the first movement's second theme. The exposition ends with a suspenseful closing section in B-flat major. After that an extended and energetic development section is heard. The development is based on the first theme of the exposition. It maintains a very improvisational quality, as instruments take turns playing the stormy motifs. In the recapitulation, the first theme is truncated to only 8 bars on the tutti, because it was widely used in the development section. After the transition, the recapitulation's 2nd theme appears, this time in D flat major, half above the tonic. However, after the ominous closing section ends it then builds up into a triumphant climax in C major from the beginning of the coda. The movement ends very triumphantly in the tonic major with the same four note rhythm ending the Third Concerto in D minor. (Source: Wikipedia) ► Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/PianoAdventure?sub_confirmation=1 ► Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PianoAdventureX ► Like our Facebook Page: https://fb.me/PianoAdventureX ► Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PianoAdventure Movement III: Allegro scherzando (C minor - C major) Work Title: Piano Concerto No.2 #Rach2 Composer: Sergei #Rachmaninoff Year of Composition: 1900–1901 First Publication: 1901 - Moscow: A. Gutheil Piece Style: Romantic Midi: Sequences © Dario Galimberti Artwork: © PianoAdventure Visualization: #Synthesia