09/07/2026
Rachmaninoff's final movement to his 2nd piano concerto concludes the DUELLING KEYBOARDS show - the Allegro Scherzando, here at the Capri on SUN 2nd Aug, 2pm, featuring Tony Fenelon and John Giachi.
Composed between June 1900 and April 1901, this concerto cemented Rachmaninoff's fame and has become one of his most enduringly popular works.
This concerto saw the tail end of a writer's block Rachmaninoff could not budge after a spate of critical reviews over his Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13) in March 1897 and other works. He was treated by the neurologist Nikolai Dahl and underwent hypnotherapy and supportive therapy sessions with Dahl on a daily basis for over 3 months, specifically structured to improve his sleep patterns, mood, and appetite and reignite his desire to compose. Rachmaninoff successfully resumed composition. The second piano concerto was dedicated to Dahl for his successful treatment and for restoring Rachmaninoff's ability to compose again.
The concerto has appeared countless times in various media over the decades. Notably, it was adopted as the score to the British romantic tragedy "Brief Encounter" (1945) adapted from Noël Coward one-act play, "Still Life" (1936) - a story of two married strangers living in pre-World War II England, whose chance meeting at a railway station leads to a brief yet intense emotional affair disrupting their otherwise conventional lives.
Don't miss this rare transcription for piano and theatre organ!
TIX: https://bit.ly/4yirh5l
