Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2 In C Minor, Op. 18

Thanks to that fateful encounter in a railway tearoom in David Lean's 1945 film Brief Encounter, which used it as the throbbing soundtrack, Rachmaninov's second piano concerto must rank as the best-known classical weepie ever. After eight murky piano chords at the start, with a low, tolling left hand, a sweeping melody for strings takes over and you're instantly awash. To be fair to Rachmaninov, even without the film it's a full-blown lump-in-throat experience. His Piano Concerto No 3 (used in Shine) and his extravagantly melancholic Symphony No 2 are also strong contenders.


III. Allegro scherzando from Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Sergey Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos 2 & 3 (2004)

• 00:00 to 11:10 - Mvt. 1
• 11:14 to 22:10 - Mvt. 2
• 22:20 to 34:00 - Mvt. 3

Reference

• Rachmaninoff Network
  
• Classical Net - Basic Repertoire List - Rachmaninoff (Rachmaninov)
  
• Sergei Rachmaninoff | Wikiwand