After the critical failure of his First Symphony, Rachmaninoff sought help from Dr. Nikolai Dahl, whose hypnotherapy sessions restored his self-belief and enabled him to complete his Second Piano Concerto.
Compositional Technique
Unlike some contemporaries, Rachmaninoff's orchestration in this symphony is described as relatively modest and rather un-Russian, focusing on varied shades and combinations rather than unmixed colors.
Performer Biography
Sir Simon Rattle, the conductor on this album, was the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018.
Recording & Production
This recording was made live in DSD 256fs on September 18 and 19, 2019, at the Barbican in London.
Performer Biography
The London Symphony Orchestra, featured on this recording, was formed in 1904 as London's first self-governing orchestra and is the world's most recorded symphony orchestra.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninoff believed that "Melody is music, the basis of music as a whole, since a perfect melody implies and calls into being its own harmonic design."
Composition History
Rachmaninoff was wary of announcing his Second Symphony because the only performance of his First Symphony in 1897 had been a disaster.
