Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

We humans seem to love comeback stories, and there is no comeback quite as compelling in the classical music world as Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. It was written three years after the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, a premiere so catastrophic that it lives on in the annals of musical history, and is the essential starting point for understanding the Second Piano Concerto and how it came to be.

The concerto revived both Rachmaninoff's career and his spirits, and it remains his most famous orchestral work. It is a towering masterpiece of Romanticism, overflowing with glorious melody after glorious melody, supported by virtuosic and sumptuous writing for the solo piano, and a deeply satisfying orchestral part that continues to make audiences swoon around the world.

Today on the show, we'll begin with the story of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony, and then walk through this extraordinary concerto, highlighting what truly makes Rachmaninoff's music so special. Hint: it's not just the pretty melodies.

Recording: Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin cond.

Episoder(284)

Copland Symphony No. 3

Copland Symphony No. 3

There has always been a debate about "The Great American Symphony." By the time most prominent American composers got around to writing large scale symphonic works, the symphony had very nearly gone o...

28 Mar 20241h 1min

An Exploration of Klezmer Music w/ Abigale Reisman

An Exploration of Klezmer Music w/ Abigale Reisman

Klezmer music has always been very close to my heart, even as a classical violinist. During the pandemic I attempted to learn Klezmer clarinet, and soon I began collaborating with the great Klezmer(an...

14 Mar 202456min

Schumann Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish"

Schumann Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish"

In 1850, Robert Schumann accepted a position as the new Music Director in Dusseldorf. This job had a lot of responsibilities, including conducting the city orchestra. Schumann, along with his wife, th...

29 Feb 202454min

Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 1

Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 1

In 1806, the 36 year old Beethoven received a commission from the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky. Razumovsky wanted a set of string quartets for what would soon be his house st...

15 Feb 202458min

Ethel Smyth Serenade in D

Ethel Smyth Serenade in D

I've mentioned Ethel Smyth a few times in the past on this show. This is partly because of her music, and partly because she remains one of the most interesting people who ever lived. She was a compos...

1 Feb 202448min

Dvorak Cello Concerto

Dvorak Cello Concerto

When you think of the genre of the concerto, you might be thinking of something like this: virtuoso fireworks, perhaps over romantic gestures designed simply to show the soloist off, and a rather pede...

18 Jan 202448min

Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from Westside Story

Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from Westside Story

We're back! Welcome to Season 10! Leonard Bernstein to his wife: "These days have flown so -- I don't sleep much; I work every -- literally every -- second (since I'm doing four jobs on this show -- c...

4 Jan 202446min

Dvorak Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" - LIVE with the Aalborg Symphony!

Dvorak Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" - LIVE with the Aalborg Symphony!

I had the great joy to do my first ever live edition of Sticky Notes last month with the Aalborg Symphony in Denmark. For this concert, I chose a piece that is extremely close to my heart, Dvorak's Ne...

16 Nov 20231h 42min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
enkel-servering
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
tusvik-tnne
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
konspirasjonspodden
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
hovla
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
kjendiscrush-med-sofie-karlstad
nare-venner
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
rss-gammal-maiden
christine-dancke
feedback-med-egon-holstad
rss-backstage-historier-om-legender