Keys to the Drama in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 2
II. Adagio sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
I'm Sergei Rachmaninoff, and I'm glad to walk you through the II. Adagio sostenuto movement of my Piano Concerto No 2. You'll hear the music drift away from C minor into the calm of E major, then a long clarinet solo, and finally a fade until the pianist is left alone. If you'd like to learn how to recognize this music the moment it starts, try the Trainer here, where my fellow composers and I will help you.
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Sit Back, Nothing Is Chasing You
Think of this movement as a quiet evening conversation between the piano, the clarinet and the strings, and your only job is to notice who is speaking. The piano is the soloist, so it's the voice you'll follow most, while the strings gather around it like a warm blanket around someone on a sofa. Listen for the clarinet too, because it gets a long solo of its own, with a soft, woody sound that is easy to pick out. You don't need to know any names or rules, only to let the slow pace settle you and to notice when the mood changes.A Title That Asks Everyone to Slow Down
Adagio is the Italian word for slow, and sostenuto means held or sustained, so the title asks the players to keep every note singing and joined to the next. I chose it because this music has to breathe, and anything quicker would turn the long melodies into a hurry. I started work on this movement in Italy in June 1900, while I was staying with my friend Feodor Chaliapin, so an Italian title feels fitting. The marking tells you the mood before a note is played: unhurried, warm and set in the gentler key of E major.No Label on This Box
Choosing a form for this movement was an adventure in itself, because I didn't want to squeeze it into a sonata plan like the one in my first movement. Instead I let it unfold as a chain of sections, each with its own mood, a little like chapters that lead naturally into one another. I'll only point at them here: the move from C minor into E major, the clarinet's long song, the piano's cadenza, and the slow fade to the soloist alone. I'm going to take each of them one by one in the next few paragraphs, so get ready for a proper exploration.Section 1: Tiptoeing Out of the Dark
The movement begins by modulating from C minor, which simply means the music slips out of the stormy key of the first movement and finds a new home. That new home is E major, and you can feel it right away, because the sound turns brighter and more open. The tempo is Adagio sostenuto from the very first moment, so nothing rushes and the mood stays calm and tender. Listen to how gently the piano and the strings set the scene, as if they were making sure the room is quiet before anyone speaks.Section 2: The Clarinet Takes the Microphone
Now the orchestra steps back and the clarinet sings an extended solo, one of the longest moments where the piano is not the star. The tempo stays slow and sustained, and the melody has room to stretch out and rise at its own pace. The mood is warm and a little wistful, and the piano stays close by, accompanying the tune quietly underneath. If you only remember one melody from this movement, I'd bet it's this one.Section 3: The Pianist Thinks Out Loud
Next comes a piano cadenza, a passage where the soloist plays freely and the orchestra leaves the pianist to speak alone. Here the music feels more personal, with the piano leaning into the notes and letting the feeling grow before it settles again. The key of E major still glows in the background, and the mood moves between tenderness and a quiet, rising emotion. Notice how the slow tempo gives every phrase a chance to land, which is exactly why I asked for it to be sustained.Section 4: The Lights Go Down Slowly
The movement ends by fading out gradually until only the soloist remains. One instrument after another drops away, and the sound grows softer and thinner without any sudden stop. The tempo and the key stay put, so the mood is one of peace, as if the music were settling down for the night. When the last notes of the piano fade, the movement closes quietly in E major, and I hope you'll feel a little hush in the room.Your Turn at the Play Button
Now it's your turn to hear this movement for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you along. While it plays, keep in mind what we've talked about: the step out of C minor, the clarinet's song, the piano's cadenza and the long fade. You don't need to do anything but listen, and there's no wrong way to feel about it. I hope the journey through my Adagio sostenuto moves you as much as it moved me when I wrote it.---
I hope you enjoyed this walk through the Adagio sostenuto of my Piano Concerto No 2, and that the clarinet and the quiet piano stay with you for a while. Did you enjoy learning about the listen guide to the Adagio sostenuto? This slow movement is only one part of the concerto, and there is still a good deal more to discover about the whole work. The story behind it, the other two movements and the many places where its music has found a new home all have something to offer. If you'd like to keep exploring, click on the links provided and let them lead you further into my Piano Concerto No 2.