Born on April 1, 1873, on the estate of Oneg, near Novgorod in Russia; Died on March 28, 1943, in Beverly Hills, California
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Largo – Allegro moderato
Allegro molto
Adagio
Allegro vivace
Composed: 1906-07
Estimated length: 60 minutes
We are fortunate to have Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, since he came close to abandoning composition altogether following the traumatically disastrous premiere of his First Symphony in the spring of 1897. The fiasco did long-lasting damage to the young composer’s confidence. Music history attributes much of the blame to incompetent preparation by the hard-drinking conductor (and fellow composer) Alexander Glazunov.
A dose of therapy—including, some speculate, a blossoming love for his therapist’s daughter—and a breakthrough with his Second Piano Concerto, turned things around for Rachmaninoff. After the failure of his First Symphony, Rachmaninoff avoided introducing new symphonic works for years, instead focusing much of his energy on his career as a performer, both at the keyboard and on the podium. In 1906, Rachmaninoff moved his family to Dresden so as to focus more intensely on composing—at a safe remove from the demands of concert life back in Moscow.
This is the context out of which emerged the Second Symphony, which he composed in secret between the fall of 1906 and the spring of 1907. Rachmaninoff led the premiere in early 1908 in St. Petersburg, winning a decidedly popular and critical success. A “tradition” of conductors making substantial cuts to the hour-long work (or more, depending on tempo choices) became part of the Second Symphony’s reception history. But the usual choice in more recent years has been to trust the integrity of the composer’s vision and perform the work unabridged.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
The first movement, the most expansive of the four, opens with a foreboding motto theme in the low strings. Its stepwise shape echoes the linearity of Orthodox chant melody and provides much of the Second Symphony’s thematic material. The slow introduction also gives a taste of Rachmaninoff’s richly upholstered orchestration. An extended theme in the violins launches the Allegro moderato. Along with reminiscences of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic soundscapes, Rachmaninoff shows his admiration of Richard Strauss’s orchestral brilliance. The second theme emerges like an oasis within the epic journey of the movement.
Rachmaninoff’s fascination with the medieval chant tune associated with the Requiem (the Dies Irae) is subliminally present in the march-like shape of the Scherzo’s main theme. Contrasting episodes include a thrilling fugue-like passage that almost anticipates the sardonic humor of Dmitri Shostakovich.
Melody reigns supreme in the Adagio, reaching its most sublime heights in the soaring violin theme that opens the movement. Equally captivating is the lyrical theme introduced by the solo clarinet. The melody unfolds with patient grace, tracing small steps and gliding effortlessly across neighboring notes.
The finale bursts with outright exuberance. Its driving momentum perhaps echoes the influence of Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger—a piece that deeply impressed Rachmaninoff. The key shifts from the E minor of the first movement to E major, paving the way for another irrepressible melody. These ideas intertwine with themes from the earlier movements, culminating in a climactic passage where Rachmaninoff weaves a sequence of descending scales, evoking the resonance of a symphony of bells, each falling at its own pace. A reprise follows, building to a stirring glorification of the main theme and concluding this epic masterpiece with a triumphant resolution.
Scored for 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings.
− Thomas May is the Nashville Symphony's program annotator.
Featured on John Williams and Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony — March 27 to 29, 2024
Nashville Symphony
Rune Bergmann, conductor
Branford Marsalis, saxophone
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