2nd piano concerto (Rachmaninoff)
The 2nd Piano Concerto op. 18 in C minor was composed by Sergei Rachmaninov in 1900/1901. It was premiered on October 27, 1901 in Moscow under the direction of Alexander Siloti , the composer played the solo part. Rachmaninoff dedicated the work to the Russian neurologist Nikolai Dahl .
background
When Rachmaninoff began composing the 2nd piano concerto , he had gone through a serious creative crisis. In October 1897, his Symphony No. 1 in D minor failed both the audience and the critics, an experience that hit the young composer hard. Until then, spoiled by a success that came along as if on his own, he suddenly felt unable to come out with new compositions. Rachmaninoff, known for his melancholy, fell into self-doubt and eventually into depression. His relatives managed to get him to seek therapy. The neurologist Dahl successfully treated him with hypnosis . Rachmaninoff later wrote about this:
“I heard the same hypnotic formulas repeated day after day while I was asleep in Dahl's treatment room. 'You will write your concert… you will work with great ease… The concert will be of excellent quality…' It was always the same words, without a break. While it seems incredible, this therapy really helped me. I started composing in the summer. The material grew and new musical ideas began to stir in me. "
Rachmaninoff dedicated the concert to the doctor in gratitude.
The concert
Rachmaninoff had completed the 2nd and 3rd movements of the concert first. The movements were presented to the public on December 2, 1900 under the direction of Alexander Siloti and with Rachmaninoff at the piano. Even this performance met with enthusiasm and unanimous praise, despite the lack of a first movement. Nikolai Kashkin wrote:
“His great talent has not only attracted attention in Russia for a long time, but also abroad. But only now does it seem as if this talent is fully aware of its inner strength and therefore free from the earlier compulsion to chase after extraordinary effects of harmony and instrumentation. The classic clarity of the form, the breadth of the melodies, the opulence and power of the harmony force us to regard the work as remarkable in the real sense of the word. "
The concert is still very popular today because of its song-like melodic themes, which are entirely owed to romanticism. Even Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto from 1909, which is similar in design, could not overtake him despite great recognition.
The sentence names are:
- Moderato
- Adagio sostenuto
- Allegro scherzando
The first sentence
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The piano begins as a soloist with eight chords , which sound like the chimes of bells from afar and gradually increase in volume. In order to play these as intended, you need big hands because the left hand chords are bound in decimals . Rachmaninoff himself, although he had big hands, played the capital F as a suggestion in all chords from the second in his recording from 1929 ; in this respect, this variant, which is suitable for smaller hands, is also valid.
The composer introduced the first theme, a melancholy melody in C minor , in bar 11 in the orchestra and is accompanied by swirling runs in the piano part. From bar 28 the theme is spun on by the cellos or later the strings . The piano takes over in bar 55, resolving the continuation from bar 63 into a kind of cadenza. Arhythmic chords introduce the second, lyrical theme in E flat major. Beginning in bar 83, it is first presented by the piano and then continued by the soloist and the orchestra.
The implementation starts in clock 161 with the first motif of the first theme, which the flute with the acclamation as '' - b '' - g '' - as '' - c '' replies. This acclamation gains in importance in the following, is modulated and picked up by the piano. In tone repetitions and distinctive chords, it ultimately determines the nature of the development. It is led from one key to the next, the modulations extend to G sharp major. Motifs from the second theme also appear in the development (e.g. from bar 218), but are almost unnoticed because the piano is superimposing them. The recapitulation begins in bar 246 in the orchestra, to which the piano opposes the acclamation motif in chords with massive certainty. The second theme (A flat major) follows quickly (bar 298 in the horns ), from bar 314 the final phase of the first movement begins.
The 2nd movement
The Adagio sostenuto is in E major. After four introductory bars, the piano begins with a calm sequence of arpeggios which, in its repetition, accompanies the first theme. This first introduces the flute, which takes over the clarinet. From bar 24 the soloist and orchestra swap roles. In bar 47, another, somewhat more passionate theme in a minor key is added by the orchestra and piano. The sentence is rounded off by taking up the first topic with which it is also concluded.
The 3rd movement
The 3rd movement (key: C minor) begins with a dialogue between orchestra and piano, which is presented in virtuoso runs. The actual theme, which combines erratic cadences with runs, begins in bar 43. An intermediate motif (bar 75) introduces the transition to a second theme that begins in bar 106. Its development leads to a renewed take-up of the theme as well as a final section that places high demands on the virtuosity of a pianist.
occupation
2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , 4 horns , 2 trumpets , 3 trombones , tuba , timpani , size. Drum , cymbals , solo piano and strings
Derivative works
The American songwriter Eric Carmen took over the theme of the 2nd movement for the song All by Myself . Fragments of the theme can also be heard in Billy Joel's song Honesty .
Popular reception
The 2nd piano concerto can largely be heard as film music in the David Lean love drama Encounter from 1945. Music also plays a major role in the French-American film Leave and Come Back (1985). The play is also played in the film adaptation of the novel Menschen im Hotel from 1932 with Greta Garbo and in the dance film Center Stage from 2000. A longer part of the piano concerto can be heard in the finale of the 1954 film Symphony of the Heart with Elizabeth Taylor . In the film The 7th Year Itch from 1955, Marilyn Monroe allows herself to be seduced to Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto.
In the 11th episode of the anime Nodame Cantabile (2007), the piece is performed by a student orchestra to the delight of the critics present. In the 12th episode you can hear a quick interpretation on two pianos.
Sound samples
(played by the Skidmore College Orchestra, Saratoga Springs, New York)
literature
- WR 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
Web links
- 2. Piano Concerto (Rachmaninov) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project