Rachmaninoff Suite No. 2, Op. 17, II "Waltz" - Two Piano Journey

Michelle Chen Kuo & Christopher Kuo
Featured as part of the Minds Matter San Francisco "Back to School Night" Gala on October 7, 2020
Two Piano Journey
twopianojourney.com
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2, Op. 17 marked a comeback in Rachmaninoff’s career. Three years prior to the suite’s premiere, Rachmaninoff suffered an embarrassing flop - his first symphony was widely derided and likened to the Ten Plagues of Egypt. Rachmaninoff (understandably) fell into a deep depression, during which he wrote almost nothing. In contrast, the Suite opens with a bold victory march - as if to dare his detractors to dismiss him again - and then leads into a sparkling Waltz. The expressive Romance overflows with color and fantasy. An explosive Tarantella closes the suite with a bang, demanding staggering virtuosity from both players.

[@8413Lucas]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@twopianojourney]

Thank you!

[@suejinjungmusic]

What a beautiful and powerful duo! So touched by your music and your story!

[@twopianojourney]

Thank you so much!

[@dannys-pianoconnections5169]

waw.... excelent played !.... super clip !! congratulations !!!

[@twopianojourney]

This is our favorite piece of all time :)

[@EmdrGreg]

Gorgeous playing-- thank you! I wish Rach had written tons more suites for 2 pianos and not just the 2 masterpieces that we have.

[@twopianojourney]

Thank you so much! I totally agree! Outside of Symphonic Dances, the Italian polka, and Russian Rhapsody, there's not too much!

[@stefanbernhard2710]

Bravo!👏👏

[@Elijah24553]

Cool! This is what me and my friend are going to start learning in a few weeks.

[@twopianojourney]

That's great! It's by far our favorite piece to play! Definitely we needed lots of slow metronome work haha. Best of luck!

[@Elijah24553]

Thanks! And I'm sure we'll also need to do a lot of metronome work. Lol!