From misery to melody - Ep 20: Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto Number 2
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ย. 2023
- Tortured by a lack of confidence and an oversupply of vodka, Rachmaninoff was at rock bottom. This is the story of how he not only crawled back from the brink, but managed to drag a musical masterpiece along with him.
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Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff
Work: Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18
Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Andre Previn
Year: 1970
Label: Decca
Catalogue No: 4448392
Nota Bene : Dr Dahl was an accomplished violonist. In 1925 he fled to Beyrouth (Lebanon) where he once played in the orchestra of the American University of Beyrouth the 2nd concerto of Rachmaninoff. When the audience learned that the person which the piece was dedicated was playing in the orchestra they asked him to take a bow.
What a lovely moment.
How *dare* you label your own note “bene”? I’ll be the judge of that!
Actually it was pretty good.
@@ClassicsExplained can you do Puccini's Tosca and explain why is tragic and why three characters never survived in each three acts.
@@ClassicsExplained indeed
@@ClassicsExplained will you introduce Paganini or Liszt
My favourite musical piece. Not a boring second in any of the three movements. Flawless masterpiece.
it's a perfect 100/100 masterpiece indeed
Same, it's perfect. I discovered it through Nodame too 😂
The "not a boring moment" is so true!! And so rare, it delights all the way through
Rachmaninoff always said it was awkward to play, he preferred the 3rd piano concerto as it "fell easier under the fingers"😂. Both are fine concerti, but the story behind this one, makes it edge ahead with all its beauty.
Rach 2 is the most memorable musical composition that I have ever heard. It transports me instantly to another world, one that is full of serenity and wonder.
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 2 is perhaps the greatest piano concerto ever written, such a deep, complex, and emotional composition. I love it so much!
13:28 and ends with his standard ending of using his name as the rhythm, “Rach-man-i-noff!”
And I never noticed that! 👍😊
And the OSCAR goes…to each and every episode of “Classics Explained”!!!
5:30 THIS SailorMoon reference lmao 😂
I feel like you’ve really taken on the advice from the survey. You’ve treated the genuine sadness of Rachmaninov’s story respectfully whilst still incorporating a good level of comedy. This may be my new favourite episode :)
With respect, I do not agree with what you have said about treating ‘the Rachmaninov’s story’ respectfully. I find it quite opposite, to boot, the Russian accent sounds silly and out of place completely.
This is probably my favourite piece of classical music and when I got to see it live in the local philharmonic concert hall I was moved in a way no concert before or after has ever achieved. I felt like I could run all the way home afterwards with the amount of energy that performance had given to me.
Fully agree!
Oh rachmaninoff, if it weren't for your music I wouldn't know how great the piano could be, I couldn't appreciate classical music, and I'm glad you were alive, and you wrote this comeback piece from your first symphony. I really wanted to meet you in real life. Thank you Rachmaninoff.
This is great.❤️ I love Rachmaninoff and his second piano concerto so much.❤️ thank you for making this video. i am only 13 and i am really passionete about classical music, but children my age hardly ever listen to it. I am always emberrased to say anything about my music taste but i know that liking classical music is not emberassing and i am afraid they will laught at me. I wish more people would listen to classical music. ❤️❤️your videos deserve much more views.
The second concerto definitely feels programmatic. The first 2 minutes are almost like shouting "I'm sad help" and then we modulate to Eb major and get that iconic piano melody (which is possibly my favorite ever) which is almost like being hypnotized
Eric Carmen knew he was lifting the melody from this concerto...he just thought that it must have been public domain by that point (1975)...so he probably did have an expression like that when the Rachmaninoff estate came knocking!!!
Although the 3rd Concerto is my ultimate favorite the 2nd holds a special place in my heart as it being the first time I was introduced to Rachmaninoff in a live concert with the fabulous Olga Kern.
@neon0325 - honest question for you: do you feel that the 3rd would still be your favorite had it not been for the movie ‘Shine’? I’m torn with the same question in my own life - I truly believe that had it not been for Shine, his 2nd would probably be first on my ‘favorite’ list.
@@theelerdingteam6263 I can honestly say yes because up till this point I have never heard of that movie, but having now looked it up will for sure be watching it in the near future.
You know what would be wild on this channel? A video on the Miraculous Mandarin. Probably one of the wildest stories I've ever seen for an orchestral piece yet it is so well-told through music by Bartok.
Miraculous mandarin really similar to the rite of spring
Musically, in its intensity, it is similar to the Rite of Spring...but as far as the program involved, they are quite different
Bartoks 6 romanian dances also a good idea
Oh, this is SUCH a good choice!! 2nd movement is my absolute favorite
It’s amazing to me how much the melodic and harmonic vocabulary in the 2nd piano concerto prefigures that of Gershwin or even John Williams, even though Rachmaninoff could not possibly have been familiar with jazz and blues at that time. I always assumed it was the American folk influence that made those composers so uniquely soulful and catchy, but perhaps it was the influence of Rachmaninoff as well!
This is *TOO* exciting! What a moving piece and perfect story for this channel.
If you enjoyed this episode, hit that like button as if it was a second hand Timpani, it really helps us reach a bigger audience. And as a small token of gratitude for your continued support we're offering everyone a 15% discount in our store, valid until the end of November. Code: TH3RAPY. Thank you everyone! www.classicsexplained.com
Are you going to make Pastoral Symphony, Songs of the Night, Bartered Bride, Barber of Seville and Pines of Rome?
Second hand Timpani 🤣🤣
I love your videos so so so sooo much. It extremely saddens me that you are so underrated despite the AMAZING animations and storytelling. Please keep making videos, if you stop I might have a heart attack.
Space Dementia is one of my fav songs :))) Glad you referenced muse
One more great example of why you should encourage others to make the best use of their talents. Bravo Dr. Dahl.
😁🎶🎹🎶Play On
I love all of his piano concertos, but the 2nd is very special. Such a great composer. My favourite piece by him is probably the All-Night Vigil.
There’s a statue of Rach in my town, Knoxville TN. ALLEGEDLY, like Hank Williams and Randy Rhoads, he played his final show here before dying
His 2nd concerto has been an inspiration and somewhat of a contrapuntal/orchestral blueprint for my own symphony
Rach truly channeled god’s love and light in that piece and “redeemed” himself
This and dvoraks ninth are my favorite pieces. Never get tired of listening to them
- Scriabin Poem de l extase
- Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream
- Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture
- Respighi Pines of Rome
- Bach Goldberg Variations
- Schumann Davidsbündlertanze
- Mahler Symphony 2
- Brahms Violin Concerto
- Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
- Verdi Aida
- Bizet Carmen
- Janacek Sinfonietta
- Janacek Glagolithic mass
or composers already covered before, but would love to see an episode of these:
- Stravinsky Petrouchka
- Prokofiev Cinderella
- Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
- Mozart Don Giovanni
- R. Strauss Death and transfiguration
I like the Rorschach quality especially during the French Horn development. Another masterpiece. Touche!
I LAUGHED when i saw the notebook… pls keep making more videos like this 🎉❤
Probably my most favorite concerto ever ❤❤❤❤
I played this on cello with my community orchestra a couple of weeks ago! It was very difficult to learn, but I was so mesmerized by the pianist soloist, my wrong notes weren’t noticeable on the recording haha. Love this concerto, it has beautiful piano melodies as well as spectacular orchestration, even though it is very difficult for a beginner cellist like myself 😂
My Favorite concerto and great story telling!
Rachmaninov really is embodied in the song All By Myself. Lyrically. As well as the obvious. What buttheads are peers who tell you that you suck? Therapy works.
Such a massive step up from your first episode. I love this! Keep it up! 🔥👍
Thank you so much! Your channel has opened the doors to classical music for me. Now rarely a day goes by without some classics.
Wonderful piece! Thanks for the amazing video!
Love this piano concerto.
Thank you for using Ashkenazy’s version
This piece actually changed my life as a musician along with this performance~
That was incredible! I was literally in massive chills so many times during this video! Thank you! I’m subscribing and can’t wait to check what’s more on this great channel!
Thank you so much for a beautiful video about my favorite piece of music.
I became acquainted with mr Rachmaninov's Concerto after watching "Nodame Cantabile". what a glorious piece of music.
Rhapsody in blue was also featured there. Is this a pattern?
Love this video! Love the storytelling and subtle but not cringey humour!
This is my favorite piano concerto, I immediately fell in love with it!
This is by far my favorite single piece of classical music. I'm super stoked you chose this for one of your episodes. I was hoping this would be covered, and I'm thrilled to finally see it. Keep up the awesome work!
EPIC EPIC VIDEO TO AN EPIC PIECE OF MUSIC. Bravo!❤
Omg your works is amazing, deserve more view
Nice to see Benjamin back in the videos again. You can see the effort put into the voice acting as well. Bravo! 😊
A glowing masterpiece for sure. Great video.
Hey man, thank you so much for your channel. Your videos provide me with very good introduction ideas when teaching music lessons to middle school students. You are really geniuses.
WOW! This was so so so so good! Benjamin et al, you simply continue the excellence. Thanks
Amazing as always. You're awesome
What a brilliant animation, I congratulate you for the great work you do. I enjoyed it very much. I would pay to travel back in time and hear Rachmaninoff and Siloti premiering the second Concerto. Greetings from Argentina, Buenos Aires.
Beautiful analysis on the composition and Rachmaninoff! I always found his story very inspiring: in his dark, low moments, he created something so beautiful.
After listening to the story behind this wonderful piece of music, Rach2 has somehow catapulted itself to my top 3 favourite pieces of music!! 👏👏👏
Thank you, Thank you
7:25 the horn player is animated in such a cursed way!! As a horn player this was a painful 5 seconds. Good video otherwise, very moving and informative!
You Guys doing Great please make more Videos about Classical Pieces. I love them so much!!
!
Although I knew the story in and out, this was a fantastic and well-made video!
♡ this channel
Amazing video as always
Yes!!! I've been waiting for this video :))
What the hell! I’m at Music uni right now and we’re playing this piece in symphony orchestra for our Rachmaninoff 150th bday weeklong event! What a coincidence you post this. Been watching for a long time and will keep on watching everything you get put out! Much love! ❤
Great video
Ok lets goooooo! 🔥🔥
Nicely conveyed; excellent work ❤🎉
Thank you! Huge tune Seryoga!
This is my fave piano concerto thx so much @ClassicsExplained
What an incredible video!
You mentioned Alexander Glazunov in this Survey. He is another student of Rimsky-korsakov and wrote works such as The Sea, Spring, The Seasons, The Forest, & From the Middle Ages.
Love the more regular uploads ❤!
Fabulous! 😅🎵✨
not the magicial girl transition 5:30 that made me laugh
LMAO HOW DID I MISS THAT
i feel like rach would have watched madoka. possibly been a homura stan
I love that you are so precise so even draw the SPb big philharmonic (:
I didn't recognize that, but Zverev was extremely accurately depicted
@@u1zhabut Zverev was an excellent teacher
@@ddf72778No hes evil because he loves to lock his students for years if they did nothing wrong which is super cruel
Benjamin and company how far you have come since Scherazade 😮. Somehow you have picked all my favorites and as a fan I have put together a 3 page listing of suggested subject matter😂. But as a fan I am still trying to figure out how to conjure up a bigger appreciative audience. Well anyway you have become a storyteller extravaganza. Thanks for being you. Namaste.
I LOVE this Channel! 🥰
Me too :3
I love it , thank you
YES YES YES! the is my favorit piece of all time
Thanks for introducing me to a wonderful piano masterpiece...and Space Dementia
Hello again hugely enjoyable thank you!!! 😊
Hello! Thank you for watching
It baffles me how his composer friend could have said Rachmaninov had no talent after listening to this beautiful concerto.
Hey nice video! I really would like to see a video about Prelude in C# minor from Rachmaninoff too ! It's a piece with a lot of versions about the way it was composed
bravo! bravoo!! another masterpiece about a masterpiece!
muchas gracias Señor🙏🧡
Did I just watch Sergei Rachmaninoff pull out a Sailor Moon transformation sequence complete with final pose?
great video
Thank you
i've never heard this piece but this video brought tears to my eyes...probably because I'm also depressed and can't compose! I can't wait to go listen to this one
i never hears about someone composing and doesn't know Rachmaninoff second :) kididng. peace from Slovakia :)
I absolutely love his 1st Symphony! I hope that gives him some solace in his afterlife. 😅
Great video as always. I had no clue that Rachmaninoff had dedicated his concerto to his therapist! Could I suggest you do a video about Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante? The almost father-like relationship between him and Rostropovich is really interesting!
If you liked the second piano concerto, you should check out his second symphony!
Was waiting for this
this was so amazing! Can you do either Mozart's Don Giovanni or Beethoven's 6th, "Pastoral" next?
Yes! Don Giovanni!
I love this channel
This series is incredible, is it possible to put some Bruckner on the docket?
I hope we get at least the 9th Symphony. But I also hope for his 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th
@@luisfelipegoncalves4977 Bruckner 1 is also surprisingly really good too!
I can only suggest making a video about Shostakovich's 10th symphony - it is an interesting topic. Good choice though.
underrated
Loved seeing Fortuna in the audience. Love the Easter Eggs.
Great video man, i stumbled upon it by complete accident and i loved it ❤. Hope u can do a vid about Chopin's Ballade in G minor, as it is my favorite classical piece and i'd love to learn more about it.
We're glad you found us! Thank you for the suggestion.
@@ClassicsExplained I would like some Barber of Seville, Bolero, Norma, Pastoral Symphony, Rigoletto, Pines of Rome, Bartered Bride and Kinderhazen please.
Incredible
thats so me in the beginning. Me telling myself in bed telling myself i will write music
Do the Brandenburg Concerts or Boléro!
Bolero is amazing piece but daphnis n chloe or le enfant et les sortileges will be more interesting and brandenburg concerto is actually a good idea
"Now this is a man that knows how to marry his cousin!"