At the Royal Festival Hall, Karina Canellakis conducts the London Philharmonic in Rachmaninov's Second Symphony, a work whose reputation for unapologetic Romanticism conceals the architectural precision required to sustain it. A somber cello-and-bass figure unfurls into expansive string melodies; woodwinds answer before the cor anglais sings over hushed brass. The Scherzo's chattering counterpoint turns suddenly ominous. Then the Adagio arrives: a long clarinet line, unhurried above glistening arpeggios, before the Finale's carnivalesque energy gathers into a majestic violin theme that returns in full. Rachmaninov retreated to Dresden in 1907, writing this symphony in secret, not even telling friends. It carries the weight of a composer with everything to prove. Canellakis lets the London Philharmonic Orchestra glow, holding tension until the strings finally unfurl in full-throated release and the symphony surges into flight.
Rachmaninov's Second Symphony is a 2025 music videos and concerts movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 4 minutes.
