Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2

Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester plays the work that reportedly requires very large hands to play - and that recurs in some of Hollywood's great classics. Rachmaninov wrote his Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1900-1901 after a serious bout of writer's block. His First Symphony met with criticism, and he lost faith in his own abilities. But the doctor Nikolai Dahl helped him out of the crisis, and the concerto is therefore dedicated to him. In sharp contrast to the fiasco of Symphony No. 1, the piano concerto was seen as a work that restored his reputation and cemented his position as one of the leading Romantic composers of his time. Thanks to the 1945 film Brief Encounter, the piano concerto became known worldwide, and especially the love theme in the 2nd movement has been used as the musical embodiment of love and longing. Programme: Rachmaninov / Piano Concerto No. 2 Tchaikovsky / Symphony No. 6