Last week, we heard an excerpt of finale in Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto. However, that was only a small fragment of this gargantuan work which consists of 3 movements, with recordings lasting around 35 minutes in length. You may be surprised to find that the opening of this piece is a dramatic contrast to the joyous finale of last week. Over the course of 60+ pages and 35 minutes is an intense emotional journey that you can be whatever you decide it to be. Personally, I found this piece entirely captivating from the first moment until the last. For this week's listening activity, we will focus on 0:45-5:40. Please feel free to continue listening if you wish!

Questions

What do are the emotions at the beginning of the piece and what are the emotions at the end of the piece (from last week)? Make a up a story of the journey of moving from one to the other.
There are 2 different themes in this excerpt - the first played by orchestra and the second played by piano. These 2 themes also feature a dramatic mood shift. What are the different moods and what do you think this is about? You can make up a story, describe a scene or picture etc.