# Rach 2nd Piano Cto



## PianoCoach (Nov 28, 2010)

Does anyone else get goose bumps when they hear the popular theme from Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto?


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## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Nope. This piece is so overdone, it's lost all its magic for me.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Delicious Manager said:


> Nope. This piece is so overdone, it's lost all its magic for me.


I still listen to Cliburn/Reiner once in a while.

If you have a recording on LP, try playing it at 45rpm. The boost is almost a perfect 4th.

:devil:


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

PianoCoach said:


> Does anyone else get goose bumps when they hear the popular theme from Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto?


Yep. It was the piece of music that hooked me into Art Music when I was young. It still holds a lot of personal joy for me.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili (Jan 26, 2010)

PianoCoach said:


> Does anyone else get goose bumps when they hear the popular theme from Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto?


This piece is a drivel.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> This piece is a drivel.


Thanks. Now I feel much better when I remember my pieces are, according to you, drivels as well.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili (Jan 26, 2010)

Aramis said:


> Thanks. Now I feel much better when I remember my pieces are, according to you, drivels as well.


Well, even within drivel to drivel there are varieties and levels.

Wikipedia :

*"His reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions, before his music gained steady recognition across the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff's music as "monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes."*


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## Lipatti (Oct 9, 2010)

It's funny. I always _think_ I'm fed up with this concerto, but as soon as I put it on, I enjoy it as much as ever.


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## Nix (Feb 20, 2010)

Saul_Dzorelashvili said:


> Well, even within drivel to drivel there are varieties and levels.
> 
> Wikipedia :
> 
> *"His reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions, before his music gained steady recognition across the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff's music as "monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes."*


Well they just put negatives on both Rachmaninoff's worst and best qualities. True, his orchestrations weren't that inspired, but he was an extremely gifted melodist.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili (Jan 26, 2010)

Lipatti said:


> It's funny. I always _think_ I'm fed up with this concerto, but as soon as I put it on, I enjoy it as much as ever.


LOL, that was really funny.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Nix said:


> Well they just put negatives on both Rachmaninoff's worst and best qualities. True, his orchestrations weren't that inspired, but he was an extremely gifted melodist.


I could quote Saul's 'that's really funny', but since it isn't, I won't. Rachmaninoff's orchestrations were melodically mundane - that's why the melodies were often 'borrowed' in pop songs. He did subtle things with harmonies that were study subjects in music academies.

Even when you are firmly within the classical music sphere, it's still good to pay attention.

:scold:

:devil:


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

Saul_Dzorelashvili said:


> Well, even within drivel to drivel there are varieties and levels.
> 
> Wikipedia :
> 
> *"His reputation as a composer generated a variety of opinions, before his music gained steady recognition across the world. The 1954 edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notoriously dismissed Rachmaninoff's music as "monotonous in texture ... consist[ing] mainly of artificial and gushing tunes."*


Coming from the little man who doesn't want his own music critiqued. Hypocrite.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I listened to the No. 2 a lot more when I was a teenager (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), but then set it aside for several decades. Now it seems fresh again. Yes, I get goose bumps. It's not so much the melody as the epic way it is presented especially in recapitulations -- assuming you're talking about the last movement with the famous melody that became a pop tune in the 40's? 

The last time I listened to it I found the 2nd movement hauntingly familiar too. It seems like another pop tune, maybe in the 1980's, was made of that melody also, but I can't quite put my finger on it. If anyone knows it will settle something that has troubled me for several months. Though maybe I'm just remembering it from when I was a kid listening to it.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Interesting! I always thought I was alone in not particularly liking it. I like the 3rd concerto more.

Whenever I hear the 2nd Concerto come on the radio, I instinctively turn the radio off. Its emotions are too edgy for me somehow. Perhaps it's the plethora of augmented chords, Rach's signature.

I don't call it *bad* though. It's just not for me.


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## Ernie (Jun 6, 2010)

Weston said:


> I listened to the No. 2 a lot more when I was a teenager (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), but then set it aside for several decades. Now it seems fresh again. Yes, I get goose bumps. It's not so much the melody as the epic way it is presented especially in recapitulations -- assuming you're talking about the last movement with the famous melody that became a pop tune in the 40's?
> 
> The last time I listened to it I found the 2nd movement hauntingly familiar too. It seems like another pop tune, maybe in the 1980's, was made of that melody also, but I can't quite put my finger on it. If anyone knows it will settle something that has troubled me for several months. Though maybe I'm just remembering it from when I was a kid listening to it.


In the 1990's Celine Dion's biggest hit was "All By Myself" which is based on the 2nd movement of Rach 2nd piano concerto. Here's a video clip.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Ernie said:


> In the 1990's Celine Dion's biggest hit was "All By Myself" which is based on the 2nd movement of Rach 2nd piano concerto. Here's a video clip.


That's it! Thank you!

However, I have to confess it was the 1975 Eric Carmen version I was thinking of. It was a huge hit then. I hated pop music, but you couldn't escape it.


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## TWhite (Feb 23, 2010)

The Second is not a great pianistic 'display' piece, like either his First or Third piano concerti (or even the Paganini Rhapsody), but it's got a wealth of warm Russian Romantic melody, and it exploits the idea of piano WITH orchestra (as opposed to piano AGAINST orchestra) extremely well. 

It's not an easy piece for the pianist--even Rachmaninov himself said that it didn't lie 'naturally' for the hand, but with that said, it's a very well-thought out work within its own limits. I like it quite well--but then I like MOST Rachmaninov quiet well--, but given the choice, I'd rather hear his own 1917 revision of his First Concerto. Now THAT'S some exciting and full-bore pianistic 'showmanship'. And the finale of the First is one of the most exciting things I've ever heard from his pen. 

But there's no way I'd denigrate the Second--it was my introduction to one of my favorite Late Romantic composers, and for that alone, I'm very grateful.

Tom


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

TWhite said:


> But there's no way I'd denigrate the Second--it was my introduction to one of my favorite Late Romantic composers, and for that alone, I'm very grateful.Tom


My introduction was the 3rd PC, but no matter; I am grateful.

Thank you, all of you who have (so far) tolerated the eructions of this cranky old man.

:tiphat:


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

'eructions'? 

....

Anyway, I love this piece. I don't care how many times I've heard it, it'll always be one of my favorite pieces.. the first movement, anyway. I kinda drift off during the other movements.. I like the 3rd even more, though.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

I've been a bigger fan of the 3rd PC. To me the 2nd has been kind of a simpler and more sentimental "little brother", though it might not have been a little brother when it came to popularity for a good while. (Now I'm not so sure which one is more popular) These days, both of these works have lost much of their effect on me. It might come back some day, though.

On a side note; supposedly one of the themes in the 2nd PC was not written by Rach. I think the story is that one of his fellow students made the theme, and Rach said something like "That's the kind of thing I wish I could write", and the friend said, "Well, in that case, you're welcome to use it as your own." I'm not sure which one of the themes, however I believe it might be the second theme from the last movement (the one that gets restated fortissimo towards the end).


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Originally Posted by Martin 


It's funny. I always think I'm fed up with this concerto, but as soon as I put it on, I realize that I am really fed up or more!!!!! and I put Schönberg to compensate.

Martin


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

I'm not a big fan of Rachmaninoff but I quite like this, it's quite digestible. And I vaguely remember liking how it seemed to move from a quite depressed sound to one that was more at peace in the slow movement, and it was quite convincing, positive and moving in that way. Hopefully I remember that right.


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## David58117 (Nov 5, 2009)

Woohoo, first time getting to see it live next Wednesday! Hopefully it's a good performance...

This was one of the first pieces I "just had" to have the sheet music for when I was younger (and beginning piano). I think I scared my piano teacher to death when I brought it to a lesson just to try to go over the beginning chords. This is definitely one of those pieces I hope to play before I die.

Haven't heard a recording of it in a few years (although I have plenty of course), still love it though!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Me to goes to see it live. Day after tomorrow, waiting is such a sweet sorrow, your wellingtons let me borrow.


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## David58117 (Nov 5, 2009)

Aramis said:


> Me to goes to see it live. Day after tomorrow, waiting is such a sweet sorrow, your wellingtons let me borrow.


No.

Who is performing it? Lang Lang here, I've only heard him through a few youtube clips, sounds competent enough..


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