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Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a famous work for virtuoso piano and orchestra written in 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, with his cousin Alexander Siloti conducting. Image File history File links Circle-question. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: , Sergej Vasilevič Rakhmaninov, 1 April 1873 (N.S.) or 20 March 1873 (O.S.) – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, one of the last great champions of the Romantic style of European classical music. ... The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Alexander Ilyich Siloti or Ziloti, (Russian: ; 9 October 1863 near Kharkov - 8 December 1945, New York ) was a Russian-Ukrainian pianist, conductor and composer. ...

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 Nikolai Dahl, Rachmaninoff's physician. Sergei Rachmaninoffs First Symphony in d minor, Op. ... Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Writers block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity. ... Nikolai Vladimirovich Dahl (born 1860) was a russian physician. ...

Instrumentation

The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat and A, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B-flat, 3 trombones (tenor, tenor, bass), tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, solo piano, and strings. The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... The horn (popularly known also as the French horn) is a brass instrument decended from the natural horn that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched of brass instruments. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... It is also possible that you want to know about the Cymbalum instrument. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

Description

It is written in a traditional, three-movement concerto form:

The opening 8 bars of the concerto

The opening movement, marked Moderato, begins with a series of bell-like tollings on the piano that build tension, eventually climaxing in the introduction of the main theme. At the climax of the movement the theme is transformed into a march. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 205 pixelsFull resolution (840 × 215 pixel, file size: 42 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Music free from copyright as copyright is expired. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 205 pixelsFull resolution (840 × 215 pixel, file size: 42 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Music free from copyright as copyright is expired. ...

The second movement, marked Adagio sostenuto opens with a series of slow chords in the strings which modulate from the C minor of the previous movement to the E major of this movement. The piano enters, playing a simple arpeggiated figure. A theme is introduced by the flute. The theme is passed between the piano and other soloists, before the music accelerates, climaxing with a piano cadenza. The original theme is repeated, and the music appears to die away, finishing with just the soloist. The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

The last movement, marked Allegro scherzando opens with a short orchestral introduction before a piano cadenza leads to the statement of the agitated first theme. The excitement dies away and a lyrical theme is introduced by the oboe. After a long period of development the tension is built up considerably by a brillant piano cadenza. The second theme erupts in a huge orchestration, leading to a fast coda to draw the piece to a close. The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

Notes

• 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.^{[citation needed]}

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, Hélène Grimaud, Philippe Entremont, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Chuan Li, Benno Moiseiwitsch, and the composer himself. Cliburn playing in the final round of the First International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr. ... For the 19th century Russian pianist and composer, see Anton Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Arthur Rubinstein (January 28, 1887 – December 20, 1982) was a Polish pianist who is widely considered as one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the 20th Century. ... Yefim Bronfman (born April 10, 1958) is a Russian-born Israeli pianist. ... Byron (Yankelevitch) Janis (born March 24, 1928) is an American pianist widely considered to be one of the twentieth centurys greatest musicians (Classical CD). ... Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter (Russian: , Svjatoslav Teofilovič Rikhter; March 20 [O.S. March 7] 1915 – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet pianist, widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. ... Alexis Weissenberg (born July 26, 1929) is a Bulgarian-born French Jewish pianist. ... Hélène Grimaud (born November 7, 1969) is a French pianist. ... Philippe Entremont (b. ... Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (Russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович А́шкенази, Vladimir Davidovič AÅ¡kenasi) (b. ... Evgeny Kissin Evgeny Igorevich Kissin (Russian Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син, Evgenij Igorevič Kisin) (born October 10, 1971) is a virtuoso classical pianist. ... For the Australian town, see Lang Lang, Victoria. ... Benno Moiseiwitsch (February 22, 1890 - April 9, 1963) was a pianist. ...

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. Figure skating is an ice skating sporting event where individuals, mixed couples, or groups perform spins, jumps, and other moves on the ice, often to music. ... Alexandra Pauline Sasha Cohen (born October 26, 1984) is an American figure skater. ... Fumie Suguri (Japanese: , born December 31, 1980 in Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Artur Dimitriev (born 21 January 1968) is a World and Olympic pairs figure skating champion. ... Jeffrey Buttle (born September 1, 1982 in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario) is a Canadian figure skater. ... Categories: People stubs | 1976 births | Chinese figure skaters | Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics ...

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 songs "Space Dementia", "Megalomania" and "Ruled by Secrecy" by the band Muse all contain quotes from the moderato.
• 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!"; The World of Henry Orient; Rhapsody; Center Stage; and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. It features prominently as the sound track to Brief Encounter. In September Affair (1950), Joan Fontaine plays a pianist who is preparing to perform the concerto; the music appears often throughout the film, and near the end, she plays the concerto.
• 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.
• The concerto was background music in Harry's apartment in Spider-man 3.
• The concerto was featured in the anime Gankutsuou, with the piano solo played by Eugenie Danglars
• The adagio sostenuto and allegro scherzando movements appear during the second to last dance scene of the ballet movie Center Stage.

Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] best known for developing Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the novella Anthem. ... The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... All by Myself is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975 that has spawned numerous cover versions. ... Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist. ... Operatic pop is a subgenre of Pop music, where lyrical opera voices sing pop songs. ... Amici Forever is a band of five classically trained singers who mix opera with pop music (operatic pop). ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American jazz oriented popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor. ... Full Moon and Empty Arms is a 1945 popular song by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman, based on Sergei Rachmaninoffs Piano Concerto No. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model and pop icon. ... The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is a sequel of The Princess Diaries which was released in 2004. ... Brief Encounter (1945) is a British film directed by David Lean starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. ... Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award-winning Japanese-born British actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. ... Smallville is an American television series set in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas. ... Serialized in Kiss Original run July 10, 2001 – Ongoing No. ... Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. ... Gankutsuou (Japanese: 巌窟王 Gankutsuō) is an anime series loosely based on Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. ... // Purpose of the list This article lists movies featuring recognizable dance forms, demonstrating them, shedding light on their origin, or being the base of a plot. ... Center Stage, directed by Nicholas Hytner in 2000, is about a group young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York City to make it as professional dancers and how each one deals with the problems and stress of getting ahead in the world...

Recordings

• Link to download music - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 recording from Musopen.

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

External links

• Piano Concerto No. 2: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• 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