Sergei Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

摘要

Asix and a half foot scowl' was how Stravinsky defined his fellow compatriot composer (they both left Russia for the States). But there's plenty of historic film which shows this apercu was wide of the mark. You can see him on the boat crossing the Atlantic, relaxing with family and friends in America, and standing with one of the big cars he enjoyed there [www.youtube.com/ watch?v=CwpWRYwUvVA - to the accompaniment of the slow movt of Symphony No 2 in the 1959 RCA/ Sony Ormandy recording]. But we have no performance material, alas, either as pianist or conductor. His First Piano Concerto (1891, revised in 1917) was one of his early successes, his First Symphony premiere catastrophic in its effect. It was badly conducted by the composer Clazunov and panned by critics. As a consequence, Rachmaninov sought medical help, including daily hypnotherapy, before his self-confidence returned.