Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Podcast: Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast (LS 63 · TOP 0.1% what is this?)Episode: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2Pub date: 2026-01-08Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWe 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.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Joshua Weilerstein, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.