WHY IS Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 so BEAUTIFUL? (Playing and talking)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ม.ค. 2025

ความคิดเห็น • 557

  • @ExSkyCyclePilot
    @ExSkyCyclePilot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +355

    This is the piece that got me hooked on classical music, decades ago, and I've spent the rest of my life, hoping to find another composer capable of writing music as moving as his. I have failed, because there simply isn't one! I once attended a performance of Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody, in Nashville. During the famous eighteenth variation, I observed half the audience wiping away tears, including myself. I've attended a lot of classical performances, and have never seen that kind of reaction, before or since. Rachmaninoff created the most emotional, complex, and intricate chord sequences ever. Sadly for us, he simply has no equal.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Rachmaninoff's 2nd Concerto has touched so many people in very deep ways. I never get tired of hearing this piece or playing it. Rachmaninoff had a genius for drawing listeners into his heart. I'm so glad you were introduced to classical music with this piece. Here are two other pieces that may touch your soul: Schubert's "Ständchen" D957 th-cam.com/video/I6Njg1LFxFk/w-d-xo.html (Learn and Love Music also did a three part series on Schubert) and Brahms's Intermezzo in A Major th-cam.com/video/yxJzEqMhyr4/w-d-xo.html Thank you for your comment.

    • @Hector-md8jv
      @Hector-md8jv 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      try chopin

    • @ExSkyCyclePilot
      @ExSkyCyclePilot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@Hector-md8jv I have a huge classical collection, including lots of Chopin, but no one touches me as deeply as Rachmaninoff.

    • @YaelEylatTanaka
      @YaelEylatTanaka 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Also Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Gorgeous.

    • @anotherdepressedmusician
      @anotherdepressedmusician 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@ExSkyCyclePilot If rachmaninov is the most complex to you in terms of chord sequence and emotional expression, you really haven't listened to enough composers. Maybe you indeed have heard a lot of music, but the only foreseeable reason none of it moves you as much is because you simply haven't given the same time and appreciation to those pieces.
      And, even though this is a well-known example and you've probably heard it before, try and find 10 minutes to mindfully listen to Chopin's 4th ballade, Zimerman's recording specifically. I used to say this piece didn't make me feel anything, but it does now, since I allowed myself to open up to it.

  • @philragu5298
    @philragu5298 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Yea, the first chords. That's where Rachmaninoff reaches up from beyond the grave and wraps his cold fingers around my heart, then the tears start to flow, nose stuffs up and I'm overwhelmed by emotions that seem to find outlet in frustratingly unstoppable tears...

  • @kandamy1
    @kandamy1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +270

    Ah, this is what YT should be all about. A knowledgable enthusiast passing on their knowledge and passion to others. I especially enjoyed the section on tenuto- we have a similar effect in dancing where a particular movement is highlighted by extending the movement physically and allowing it to take more than its allotted time, borrowing from the following movement.

    • @artieschannel4234
      @artieschannel4234 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Thank you for this lovely treat from your lyrical heart. 🙏❤️🙌🏾

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      Thank you so much! I do have a passion for music and I'm hoping to get others to love music as much as I do. Keep watching!

    • @gothamelliott
      @gothamelliott 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      How wonderful, Kasto. Thank you!!

    • @manoftheroad55
      @manoftheroad55 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      May I suggest Glenn Gould and his BW TV presentations from yesteryear...and other notables ...also audio books ..that was a time when they were invited guests into into the living room and wore evening dress...not baseball hat Tee shirt and trainers ...

    • @kandamy1
      @kandamy1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@manoftheroad55 Thank you manoftheroad!

  • @amol9976
    @amol9976 3 ปีที่แล้ว +186

    I've heard his all piano concertos,
    Something magical happened with 2nd Concerto, doesn't feel like the same person composed it.
    His 2nd concerto is just so romantic, as if Rachmaninoff fell in love with someone while composing, 2nd movement of this is just so soothing...
    Nice video, finally someone is actually talking about this work.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +87

      Interesting comment about Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto. He actually dedicated it to Nikolai Dahl, the physician who helped him overcome his severe depression (which he'd been struggling with for several years). Perhaps Rachmaninoff fell in love with life again? Isn't it interesting that he put a fast virtuosic section in the middle of the second movement and then returned to a slow melody at the end of that movement? It's no surprise it's one of the most famous piano concertos of all time. Simply gorgeous.

    • @amol9976
      @amol9976 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@LearnLoveMusic the definition of Gorgeous indeed.

    • @samspianos
      @samspianos 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Rachmininoff said his music was a longing for his homeland which he had to leave never to return..You will notice that this concerto begins with an imitation of the church bells he missed hearing in Russia which rang out every day

    • @natalyahennings1085
      @natalyahennings1085 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@samspianos True. During the WW2 he went to the Soviet Embassy and donated discretely his money for the its war effort, that what I heard.

    • @JK-pd7jf
      @JK-pd7jf 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      As a big thank you to Dr Dahl, his psychologist.

  • @Oaktreealley
    @Oaktreealley 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    i cannot listen to rach 2 piano concerto without getting teary eyes. its so beautiful.

  • @aywuaywu2
    @aywuaywu2 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It is amazing to see that this concerto has deeply touched so many human inner emotions, including mine, in this planet. It is simply beautiful and very beautiful!

  • @oldedwardian1778
    @oldedwardian1778 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    I am 82 years old and have been a lover of classical music for almost all of that time.
    Why is this music SO BEAUTIFUL?
    BECAUSE IT IS.

  • @joemug4079
    @joemug4079 3 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    This concerto moves me like nothing does….just amazing.

  • @mangomerkel2005
    @mangomerkel2005 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    This piece - my life.
    I love it so much. I am only 19 years old, but since I listened to it for the first time a few years ago, it changed my life. Rachmaninoff is ever since my favourite composer.
    I am happy, sad, fell in love, am broken-hearted? This piece has always been there for me.
    Learning this was the best decision I ever made. I even uploaded some videos playing this.
    This piece always evokes this 'Rachmaninoff-feeling' i.e. this mixture of sadness, longing, nostalgia, but in the same time happiness and love. It's when I love being a human.
    And I hope this will remain for the rest of my life.

  • @quanhoangclarinettist6225
    @quanhoangclarinettist6225 3 ปีที่แล้ว +61

    From a wind player's perspective, it was this piece's absolutely phenomenal orchestration that first captured me. The way he writes for the orchestra in this concerto was superb, among the most beautiful orchestral parts that I have heard in any concerto. And that clarinet solo in the 2nd movement is absolutely to die for, haha.
    One of my all-time favorite concerti, till this day.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Rachmaninoff' was a genius at orchestration. He really knew how to get the most out of the orchestra. That clarinet solo truly is wonderful.

  • @dmt3339
    @dmt3339 3 ปีที่แล้ว +78

    One of the things that I absolutely love about this concerto, that I haven't found in too many others is how Rachmaninoff wrote the piano and orchestra in what sounds like to me as two people singing with each other. Sometimes one solo's and then the other, sometimes they are together or one is taking the "lead" while the other is backing them up. Such a fantastic piece.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Yes, you also could say it's a dialogue between the piano and the orchestra. A dialogue that sings.

  • @WVDVDC
    @WVDVDC 3 ปีที่แล้ว +255

    As a huge fan of Rachmaninoff this is really amazing content! What a great way to enjoy his works even more. Great content Duane!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Thanks so much!

    • @jacktrainer4387
      @jacktrainer4387 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      He even writes meaty orchestral accompaniment parts that are breathtaking.

  • @nicholasschroeder3678
    @nicholasschroeder3678 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Remember being a moody, dreamy teen and listening to it over and over again. Still, when I hear it occasionally I think it's just as beautiful as ever.

  • @johne6081
    @johne6081 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I am sick of the naysayers who consider Rachmaninoff a mediocre, overly sentimental composer. His music grabs me and moves me, and it has obviously survived the test of time. What else is there?

    • @AD_RC
      @AD_RC 29 วันที่ผ่านมา

      WHAT IF HE'S SENTIMENTAL? WHAT IS WRONG WITH FEELING?

  • @stupor_mundi
    @stupor_mundi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    For me Rachmaninov is the best. It was because of Rachmaninov that I took an interest in Russian composers, and when I did it was like reaching a whole new level. I think when one discovers classical music there is this point when you finally find the Russians and mostly everything you had heard up to that point starts to lose a little shine. Rachmaninov's level of harmonic complexity perfectly shows why that is.

    • @user-oo5cd1fx3i
      @user-oo5cd1fx3i ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Приятно слышать.

    • @annep.1905
      @annep.1905 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think Bach shines more brightly, but only because when I hear Rachmaninov's music, I feel like he is searching for something - something which Bach found. Rachmaninov, to me, sounds like a human soul that is searching for meaning and purpose in life, but never quite finding it. Bach is the human triumphant, because he has found his purpose.

  • @metalheadjock3513
    @metalheadjock3513 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    The Rachmaninoff #2 is the most beautiful piano concerto ever written, in my opinion. Other composers have written concerti with beautiful MOMENTS, but the entirety of THIS concerto is unparalleled. I'm elated you've chosen to explain the 2nd mvt; in particular the last minutes of the 2nd movement,(here, it's 5:50 - 7:00). Listen to that passage for piano and orchestra. It is the apex of absolute mind-numbing gorgeousness. While the piano is playing the chords and accompanying left hand arpeggios, the violins are intoning a simple arco line which keeps decending. Basses are lumbering. Winds are playing gentle triplets, the horns are warmly contorting themselves to enforce the unusual chord progression. In short, every choir of the orchestra is in their most simplistic mode, doing nothing out of the ordinary. Combine all these simple elements, and without question, the most gorgeous passage ever written for piano and orchestra graces our ears;(the final few minutes of the 2nd movement). I've believed this for over 50 years now and have trained as a concert pianist, so I've heard all other concerti for piano and orchestra. This concerto is the Gold Standard.

  • @paulgreen6921
    @paulgreen6921 3 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    The opening theme after the piano intro is what clinched me. The most beautifully expansive theme ever I had heard. What an absolutely brilliant comeback after the savaging of his first symphony. Soul is evidently a state of euphoria being that sees and seers what truly resonates in the heart of man. Sergei Rachmaninov did real good! PWG

  • @ShayForbidden
    @ShayForbidden 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I always loved classical music, but the first time I heard Rachmaninoff is when I fell in love with it. I remember being gripped from the beginning of the piece and crying by the end. For me, Rachmaninoff is where I go when I want to feel the music touch my soul

  • @PiotrstrashcanŚmietnikPiotra
    @PiotrstrashcanŚmietnikPiotra 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    This piece is probably the most we - humans - could have achieved in music. Nothing comes even close to that Concerto. A true triumph of music and arguably the best piece of music written by Rachmaninoff.

  • @eucalyptus303
    @eucalyptus303 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I began taking boring piano lessons since I was eight years old. Drudgery. Then, at 16 years old, I first heard this concerto on an old record album. Love at first sight; the light bulb went on. Piano and music then became my passion.

  • @rajx82
    @rajx82 3 ปีที่แล้ว +114

    I’ve spent much of my life as an amateur pianist trying to improve my playing of this concerto. It’s such an incredible work. Thank you for this video - your playing is a joy to listen to and your insights into the music are fantastic

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Thank you, Raj D. Have you heard the Third Concerto of Rachmaninoff? It's also spectacular (although more difficult).

    • @rajx82
      @rajx82 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thank you! Yes I love the 3rd concerto too, they are both amazing!

    • @ronb6182
      @ronb6182 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I would love to learn just the second movement of this piece. It's the most beautiful part of the second piano concerto. Also most used in the pop world.

    • @lindamcdermott2205
      @lindamcdermott2205 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Well said!!!

    • @chrisfanjoy6616
      @chrisfanjoy6616 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      If you can play this concerto, you are definitely not an amateur!

  • @marioargentieri1778
    @marioargentieri1778 13 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    La prima volta che ascoltai il 2° Concerto di Rachmaninoff avevo 18 anni.
    L'esperienza che vissi fu un rapimento estatico e talmente travolgente che decisi di studiarlo ed eseguirlo con orchestra,come saggio finale della mia laurea di pianoforte
    al Conservatorio di musica di Venezia. Il mio professore di piano cercava di indirizzarmi
    aI soliti concerti di Haydn,Mozart,Beethoven,etc...che venivano di norma eseguiti per
    quella prova, Ma io fui irremovibile,e l'esecuzione pubblica ebbe un tale successo,che
    venne segnalata come evento unico di in allievo pianista nella storia di quel Conservatorio.
    La composizione di quel concerto fu la prima opera che segui' la TERAPIA DI IPNOSI di
    parecchi mesi alla quale Rachmaninoff si sottopose sotto la guida del dott.Dahl,al quale
    il Concerto e' dedicato. Questo episodio avvenne in seguito all'insuccesso e alla stroncatura
    della sua 1° Sinfonia, che porto' Rachmaninoff ad una profonda crisi depressiva e anche
    all'abuso di sostanze alcoliche.
    Il grande cantante F. Chaliapin,grande amico di Rachmaninoff,essendo stato invitato al
    Teatro Alla SCALA di Milano per interpretare il "Mefistofele " parti' per l'Italia portando con
    se' anche Rachmaninoff,che dopo la crisi aveva bisogno di cambiare aria.
    I due presero un appartamento a VARAZZE (vicino Milano) ,ed e' in questo posto che
    nacque il 2° Concerto,ma non dal 1° movimento,bensi' dal 3° movimento.
    Perche' L'IDEA DEL TUTTO nacque dal CELEBERRIMO TEMA che si trova nella parte centrale
    appunto ,del 3° movimento e che poi viene ripreso nel CLIMAX FINALE DI UN LIRISMO ACCESO,APPASSIONATO,INTRISO DI UNA GRANDE NOSTALGIA,E DI TUTTO QUELLO CHE
    IL CUORE NOBILE DI UN GRANDE ARTISTA PUO' CONTENERE...E LA PIU'GRANDE ESECUZIONE,INTERPRETAZIONE AL PIANO ,RIMANE LA SUA .

  • @robyncohen8542
    @robyncohen8542 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    How incredible it must be to play these magnificent pieces with such esse and musicality! Bravo!

  • @jonginder5494
    @jonginder5494 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Huge big romantic melody and presence. It’s so complex but has the amazing simplicity that presses into your soul.

  • @seraphimdunn
    @seraphimdunn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Rachmaninoff is my favorite composer in history. He truly spoke without words.

  • @silverballs9399
    @silverballs9399 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I cry when i listen to this piece.. How is it even humanly possible to write like this? Ahhhh my heart

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It is lovely. I treasure the times I've been able to play this piece with an orchestra. It's amazing.

  • @fohpono8884
    @fohpono8884 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    In his opening piece, he stops right before the most hauntingly beautiful passage of the concerto that has seared it in my memory. Fortunately, he completes it starting at 07:55.

  • @godbluffvdgg
    @godbluffvdgg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    It's such a beautiful and powerful piece by Rachmaninov...Personally, I love the 3rd piano concerto a bit more, but I always play the 2nd after listening to the 3rd. It's the perfect piece to ease out of the swoon I get from the 3rd... That last page on the right...So many notes...:) Thanks for the upload...

  • @louieciterone3500
    @louieciterone3500 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #2 is my favorite piano concerto. Thank you for explaining and playing some of the technical aspects tenuto and legato . . . . Bravo 👏

  • @anthonychristie7781
    @anthonychristie7781 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I had a long career as an orchestral cellist and loved it whenever I got to play this amazing music. Somehow I didn't, until my mid fifties, stumble on his cello sonata until the pianist in a trio I played with put the Andante (3rd mvt) on my music stand and played the introduction. After 8 bars I joined in and could barely play for the emotion I was already having to control (performers must walk a fine line between too little and too much self indulgence. This is particularly dangerous for singers, but instrumentalists must beware, too.) We read to the end of the movement and I marveled, and marvel still, that such music exists. When I was young it was considered chic to be unaffected by the "over" sentimentality of this great composer and of others, especially perhaps other Russians, e.g. Tchaikovsky, Borodin.... How stupid we were to deny our most precious humanity and that of these geniuses! Glad to have gotten past that idiocy, at least.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I've only played the slow movement of the cello sonata, but you're right: that movement touches your soul. I'm going to listen to the whole sonata right now.

  • @pchabanowich
    @pchabanowich 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    This music has been in this old heart for decades, themes for life. Thank you for sharing your seasoned thoughts and your beautiful playing. It happened that I had a good ear for music but began training when I was in my teens, too late to do this repertoire, but that did not stop me from engaging these sumptuous melodies and harmonies playfully, wistfully and with always a sheepish nod to the great master, Rachmaninoff. 🙏

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What a wonderful piece to go through life with! Thanks for your comment.

  • @claudiogarcia8860
    @claudiogarcia8860 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The most beautiful concerto for piano and orquestra. Thanks for your teachings on it.

  • @teresachiarelli9627
    @teresachiarelli9627 4 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    I've also never heard this without the orchestra - thank you!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thanks Teresa! I'm sure I'll play more Rachmaninoff in the future.

    • @alhdgysz
      @alhdgysz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Lisitza has wonderful recording of her playing solo

    • @gothamelliott
      @gothamelliott 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@alhdgysz
      Valentina has the soul to do justice to Rachmaninoff!

    • @davidventura83
      @davidventura83 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@alhdgysz No one can touch Zimmerman in this one!

  • @ulianasadova7438
    @ulianasadova7438 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As for a person who sincerely enjoyed this piece but doesn't know its technical secrets, I literally needed this video! Thank you so much, I'm so happy that you explained it all.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks for your comments. I hope you can enjoy some of my other videos.

  • @laribex110
    @laribex110 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I’ve never heard this favorite concerto played without the orchestra. What a new perspective I have of this piece that always brings tears to my eyes! Thank you for your insight and beautiful playing!

  • @riverwildcat1
    @riverwildcat1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Wonderful. Well done. The music, and your revelatory demonstration, is like a healing balm. Thank you!

  • @JeffriAbdullah
    @JeffriAbdullah 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Fantastic new info on a piece I have known for so long - absolutely love this music . I heard Svatsjavlov Richter play it when he came to Melbourne in the 70s. I remember all these points you are highlighting as extraordinary and now I know why. Endlessly beautiful

  • @oldedwardian1778
    @oldedwardian1778 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Much as I adore this work I am also deeply moved by the Brahms piano concerto #2 and in a VERY different way by the Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2

  • @markfischer3626
    @markfischer3626 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    This has been my favorite piece of music for over 60 years. I never tire of it. My favorite recording among many I have is Van Cliburn with Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony. Yuja Wang gave a teriffic outdoor performance under a tent in Germany and you can see and hear it on TH-cam. Also on TH-cam and a disc I bought is Argarich performing the third. It is IMO the greatest performance of that Concerto I ever heard. I consider Rachmaninoff as easily the greatest composer of the 20th century right up with Tchaikovsky and Beethoven I consider the two giant pillars of the 19th century. We have never seen their like since.

    • @4Topwood
      @4Topwood 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I was lucky enough to hear Van Cliburn perform this. As you can imagine, it was a supremely romantic, dreamy interpretation. He played as though he was alone with the music.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      So many wonderful memories are associated with this piece. Rachmaninoff truly was a giant.

    • @markfischer3626
      @markfischer3626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I love the way Reiner embellished the timpani and the cymbals in the third movement. RCA's recording was excellent. Red Seal was my favorite label in those days. Now I listen to it on a CD.

    • @lesliefigueras7708
      @lesliefigueras7708 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      dont forget chopins repertoir which is probably the most extensive and beautiful , i personally love racs no 2 piano concerto but dont forget other composers that have contributed to music some outstanding pieces for the world to enjoy

    • @markfischer3626
      @markfischer3626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@lesliefigueras7708 How could I forget Chopin. Unique and loved all over the world even in China. Among my favorite internet radio stations is Radio Poland English service. Poland has had many great composers most people never heard of but anyone serious about real music must know and probably loves Chopin. Everyone has their favorites but that doesn't mean we can't equally enjoy lots of other music just as much. In that era Beethoven seemed to tower over everyone else. I consider him one of the two pillars of the 19th century, the other being Tchaikovsky. I can't get enough of either but there are so many others I love as well. I have a problem I can't figure out. I've got thousands of recordings. Often I don't know which one to listen to next. I'd love to be able to listen to all of them at the same time. Got any ideas? :-)

  • @DrDoohickey
    @DrDoohickey 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    The title should be "Why is the solo part of Rach 2 so Beautiful?" You didn't speak about his gorgeous orchestration. In fact, some of the most exquisite melodies in the slow movement are played by the woodwinds, and even the descent to the final cadence is threaded together with a violin melody that holds much of the tension.

  • @jennifermateyabram8480
    @jennifermateyabram8480 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you. Love the explaino of the 'tenuto's'.
    I'm now finding them in sections of Rhapsody in Blue.
    Rac rocks!

  • @Alanpat01
    @Alanpat01 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for this. The passage from 5’50” is one of the most sublime and beautiful moments ever written for piano. My opinion but I have loved it, and the concerto, for over 50 years.

  • @handsomeX
    @handsomeX 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    One of my favorite pieces. Is absolutely mind blowingly beautiful. I love concerto number 1 also. Especially the second movement.

  • @quintovallei4653
    @quintovallei4653 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Helene Grimaud and Claudio Abbado did it together in 2009 which is on TH-cam. The music at the end of the second movement is so moving and is my favorite part of the concerto. I know nothing about music except what appeals to my ear. This piece and many of Puccini’s arias are in a class by themselves.

  • @bradleymasson1777
    @bradleymasson1777 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You've made me fall in love with this piece all over again. Thanks.

  • @jamesreed7528
    @jamesreed7528 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Fantastic!!!! Thanks so much for helping me define why this is my favorite piece of music ever. But you left me in tears. You play beautifully. Was introduced to this Concerto in 1956 by my roommate, a music major, and it has been my favorite since. I have bookmarked this TH-cam entry. Probably not hard to believe my 2nd most favorite piece of music is Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini, Var. 18.

  • @danb2622
    @danb2622 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It was summer 1984 when I bought a collection of Rachmaninov pieces performed by Philippe Entremont. Never heard this music before but I was hooked on first hearing. Made me want to compose for the piano, which I did for about ten years. Just relish it!

  • @topsyturvy1873
    @topsyturvy1873 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This piece is magical, beyond this world!

  • @lincolncasconi6221
    @lincolncasconi6221 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There are no words to express this concert, but you got it. Thank tou very much.

  • @Alanpat01
    @Alanpat01 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Loved this. You highlighted that final theme of the second movement from 5’50” that, for me, is one of the most sublime and beautiful musical moments that I have ever heard. Still fresh after 60 years of listening. Thank you very much, look forward to more.

  • @sherryalingod1168
    @sherryalingod1168 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this Concerto no.2

  • @alexrojas3025
    @alexrojas3025 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I always wanted to piano concerto no.2 his music is the only thing that keeps me motivated and less stressed during my daily life he has just has beautiful music

    • @alexrojas3025
      @alexrojas3025 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also at 5:50 that part makes me happy because it's like making me rethink happy thoughts

  • @FanBolt98
    @FanBolt98 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you so much for this! This concerto is something else, one of my favorites 💓🙏

  • @JW-ue1xg
    @JW-ue1xg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The coda of the first movement is just beautiful.

  • @vperez4796
    @vperez4796 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    WHY? You could feel the composer heart beating on his left hand. The ballerina's heart, on the right hand piano man, beating all together with him as they cross their eyesights, (second part, 2nd mov) not rushing but undrestanding each other. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, IS so expressive

  • @teresachiarelli9627
    @teresachiarelli9627 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    You play so beautifully that you contrive to make this inutterably gorgeous piece even more lovely. Thank you for sharing your artistry Dr. Hulbert.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The credit goes to Rachmaninoff. Thanks Teresa!

  • @richardmoonstone52
    @richardmoonstone52 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    The beauty of this piece is not in science, mathematics and technical calculation, but in the honesty of the human spirit that is far more complex and precise when expressed through the language of communication that is art as only they can be so precisely. And so as usual, technicalities being attached and explained away are always meaningless drivel, but it is a pleasure to see such a beautiful masterpiece played close up and how it is structured so beautifully as a result of that honestly expressed human spirit by a musical genius, so thank you so much for that :)

  • @fredrichenning1367
    @fredrichenning1367 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think that this piece is the ONLY one I can play over and over and over again and NEVER get tired of hearing. Now, after hearing this, I now know why. 🧐

  • @vedantthanki745
    @vedantthanki745 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you very much for sharing this. Now everytime I hear it, it feels even more beautiful and lovely..

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you for your kind words.

  • @tonimontana5153
    @tonimontana5153 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for the wonderful video, Rachmaninov ist the best. I LOVE his piano concertos, most the third. ;-)

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      You're welcome! The third concerto is fantastic.

  • @naferemix
    @naferemix 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    It’s so powerful to hear you talk about things I’ve never heard of but somehow picked up on listening to this even the first few times I listened as a teenager.
    As a self-taught pianist with no classical training and very little knowledge of theory, it feels almost magical to have heard these moments and noticed ‘something’ going on without knowing the purpose being them.
    Music like this is an incomparable method of communication. Clearly he wanted us to feel a certain way with each section, and somehow carved out a path for us as listeners. What a curiously beautiful accident of what is essentially the manipulation of vibrations detected through the air by sensory organs that our distant ancestors didn’t even have.

  • @davidbrowne5222
    @davidbrowne5222 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Brief encounter. Ah yes,I remember it well. It take's me back to the black and white screen, of old. 👍

  • @mr.thickey3959
    @mr.thickey3959 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    “Ach du lieber, mein schatz”! Thank you so much for your beautiful playing of certainly one of the most GORGEOUS pieces of music ever composed, for piano or otherwise! I almost cried when I heard these unbelievably “Heavenly” melodies! I’m 82 now, & I think I’ve heard most of the great music, melodic or not-so-melodic, but Rachmaninov is right on top of the list with some others!! Don’t know why it “hurts” so much to hear melody such as this, it just does, a “good hurt” though! I still have the Rach’s Piano Concert #2 here at home, & I used to “dabble” with it when I was in my later teens (about 1958 - 1963). His symphonies are fantastic too! His “brooding” Piano Trio Elegique #2, with Luganski, Maiskey, & Rachin (spellings?) sets my heart on fire!! His “Isle of the Dead” (“Isla del Muerto”!) is awesome! I could go on & on! Your “TENUDOS” - Seems to me they’re played by continueing to press down on a key or chord to “ press out” as much of the tone as possible! “Sestained pressure “? I used to dream of playing Rachmaninov on an 11ft Bosendorfer (9 1/2’ is as long as they make i found out [their Imperial Grand?]). MELODY, MELODY, MELODY, is what to me makes great music, to sing, hum, or whistle! Not all great music necessarily has melody, but “it helps”!!! Anyvay, Rachmaninov’s music is the “music of the gods”, (the “music gods”, not the Almighty ONE! I’ve heard HIS MUSIC is even more beautiful)!!! Yes, you can call me “grandpa” too! “Gesundheit”!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Your enthusiasm for music is infectious. Thank you for taking the time to write. Keep watching!

  • @Giannaena
    @Giannaena 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love this concerto 🙂👍🎵

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Isn't it wonderful? Hits the soul.

  • @annazully2680
    @annazully2680 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you so for posting this about my favorite concerto. I can’t help but tear up every time I listen to it

  • @harrybuttworth6765
    @harrybuttworth6765 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Gosh, thank you so much for this post. I have not studied music, but what you show is an entrance to a whole other w orld of beauty. More please 🙂.

  • @arianna.lexi.
    @arianna.lexi. 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this video! I love Rachmaninov. I don't know much about music, but I love that you explain everything for those of us who are not savvy in this field.

  • @marcodonati572
    @marcodonati572 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Marvelously executed and beautiful.

  • @jamisonellis4397
    @jamisonellis4397 ปีที่แล้ว

    As Someone who has been able to play this piece with a symphony, I can say that it is those little notes, and those little musical details that makes Rachmaninov one of the greatest composers of all time. The hours I spent learning the piece I can say without a shadow of a doubt it is my favorite piece I have preformed. Thank you so much for explaining this piece in such beautiful detail.

  • @pc9467
    @pc9467 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Listening to you play did me a whole lot of good sir. I love it!

  • @jennifercoopman
    @jennifercoopman 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you so much for this! Symphonic violinist here and this is one of my favorite piano concertos to play.

  • @TheShipObserver
    @TheShipObserver 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    probably the most beautiful piece of music ever written

  • @GhostAron
    @GhostAron 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    This is my favorite concert of all times since I first heard it, such a beautiful piece from the very first second till the end. I'm glad I found this video.

  • @bryan6068
    @bryan6068 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Wonderful video. One of the best music teaching videos ive ever seen. Profound insight, deep understanding of the nuances, and pure wisdom radiating. Thank you very much for such refreshing content!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you for your kind words. Keep watching!

  • @SharonJerniganStudio
    @SharonJerniganStudio 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    So nice! It’s so important to KNOW what to LISTEN for….splendid job! Thank you!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Glad you enjoyed it! Keep watching!

  • @mariofranco7416
    @mariofranco7416 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You do an awesome job Duane! Thanks for putting this out there and inspiring more people to listen to this great music. I think Van Cliburn is an amazing pianist with great touch, who can play this piece phenomenally.

  • @RonnieT44
    @RonnieT44 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This has always been my most favourite piece of music, since I first heard it at the age of 9 years old. Thoroughly enjoyed, this well put together, music appreciation video!

  • @alexgomez2
    @alexgomez2 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I am very happy to have found your channel. Thanks you for this magnificent analysis of this, one of my ever most favorite piano works.

  • @wjones28
    @wjones28 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love your analysis but the fact that you still really feel the music after analyzing with theory is so amazing. You remind me so much of my retired high school piano teacher, miss you Mr Gabriele

  • @mourafmarcos
    @mourafmarcos 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wonderful. It takes us to the sky. Thank you, Mister.

  • @birdlover7776
    @birdlover7776 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for this! I love Rachmaninov; this concerto never gets old. I’m moved every time I hear it 🌸

  • @williambunter3311
    @williambunter3311 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    What is most noticeable in both the second and the third concertos is how the wonderful and amazing cadenzas in their first movements appear halfway through the movement rather than at the end. I love both concertos but if pushed I would choose the second concerto. What a mind Rachmaninoff must have had to conjure up his hypnotically beautiful melodies! Thank you for posting this video. It is most instructive, especially the tenuto feature. And I can only imagine the number of hours and months and years you must have dedicated to practise to be able to play at your very high standard. God bless you.

    • @villadsbojesen4142
      @villadsbojesen4142 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes! It is fantastic that the 1st movement of the 2nd concerto feels like its about to end for like 5-6 minutes or so!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you for your kind comments. You're right, pianists have to spend years practicing. Playing pieces of this quality make it all worthwhile.

    • @chystokletov
      @chystokletov 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      The Second concerto doesnt have a cadenza in the first mov...Regards

    • @williambunter3311
      @williambunter3311 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chystokletov Thank you for your reply. Yes, I got mixed up. The part of the first movement I was referring to was the wonderful climactic-type section, which would have well served as the climax to the movement. I'm sure you know the section I am referring to. It really is breathtaking. God bless.

  • @jacktrainer4387
    @jacktrainer4387 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thank you so much for doing this piece. It and the Saint-Saens #2 are personal favorites. This one is on my bucket list, so being in my 40s means I need to learn piano fast! 😂

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      My teacher in high school introduced me to both of those two concerti, and I played both with a small orchestra at my music school. They're both wonderful. Thanks for watching.

  • @llortllort1
    @llortllort1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Alexander Malofeev does the tenutos so, so beautiful and delicate in the TH-cam Rach2.

  • @pianoar3652
    @pianoar3652 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing! Generous Pianist, great human. Thank you.

  • @jguo
    @jguo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for this fantastic video! It brings back the memory of my uni days when I listened to Vladimir Ashkenazy's recording 2 to 3 times a day. Those melodies certainly have enchanting beauty in them!

  • @georgeherod4252
    @georgeherod4252 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow, that's absolutely beautiful

  • @1VirginiaL
    @1VirginiaL 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is delightful, such a tender approach to Rachmaninoff. Why didn't TH-cam show me this channel sooner?

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I hope you continue to watch our videos. Thanks for your comment.

  • @mjm5081
    @mjm5081 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just lovely ❤

  • @johne6081
    @johne6081 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I love these analytical dissections and analyses. This helps the listener distinguish between a good performance and a great one. I am a rabid Rachmaninoff fan, so you had me at "Rach 2," but now I am going to watch more of your TH-cams!

  • @orin4654
    @orin4654 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the wonderful video. It's a gorgeous concerto.

  • @martinsanchez-hw4fi
    @martinsanchez-hw4fi 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This one is just stunningly beautiful.

  • @MariaTrotter-w9f
    @MariaTrotter-w9f 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Exquisite. I love this piece … Rachmaninov inspires me to practice more .

  • @ganqqwerty
    @ganqqwerty 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Beautifully beautiful concertos are beautiful! Seriously though it’s hard to find the words when you are listening to that

  • @muzkat101
    @muzkat101 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Tenuto, in my opinion, are designed to create tension, a subtle pauses in between the notes, and or a stress on the note for emotional emphasis and sentiment, and in this piece it is wonderful and sensational. It adds depth to the tone and emotion that we can relate to. This is one of those pieces you can just sit back, close your eyes and feel the passion, the tension, and emotion all the way through; it is a wonderful experience to the ears and to the soul; it is dreamy, lugubrious, melancholy, elated to ecstasy, and so much more... and absolutely one of my all-time favorite Rachmaninoff pieces.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I agree with your assessment of tenuto. Tenutos are the life-blood of late classical romantic music.

    • @muzkat101
      @muzkat101 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@LearnLoveMusic Hi, have you done a video on Debussy - Clair de Lune? This too has some Tenutos worth mentioning as well... another one of my favorite pieces of piano music. I would say it has many of the same/similar attributes that I mentioned about your take on Rach's #2.

  • @biker5662
    @biker5662 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow. So glad I found this. Sir, thank you for sharing so much about this piece I love. I'd love to hear more from you about this concerto!

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks. Stay tuned for an episode on the second movement.

  • @michaelshelley1289
    @michaelshelley1289 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    you play beautifully!!!! I would love to hear you do the entire thing.. figure skaters also love this music Rachmaninoff is one of the harder composers to play in my opinion (of course Beethoven is no slouch either)

  • @nigeldeforrest-pearce8084
    @nigeldeforrest-pearce8084 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent and Outstanding!!!

  • @Mackinstyle
    @Mackinstyle 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your passion is infectious.

  • @richardcheatham9490
    @richardcheatham9490 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Admitting to being so hooked on this piece in particular and Rachmaninoff in general. And why not, I'm in a study of all the magnificent writers from Pushkin to Solzhenitsyn, and I hear the soul of it all right here. Some call it indigenous Russian sadness. Thanks so much for the clarity and enthusiasm in this video.

    • @LearnLoveMusic
      @LearnLoveMusic  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You're on a noble quest. Rachmaninoff is definitely among the top of the Russian composers.