Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No.2, Op.36 (Lugansky, Kocsis)

Two stunning performances of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata, a true masterpiece of the form that is tragically underplayed and misunderstood. Reviewers will say some frankly absurd things along the lines of “too full of empty virtuoso transitions”, or “essentially an unending cadenza”, or even describe it as “noisy”. In fact – as I hope the formal analysis beneath will show – the sonata is extremely tightly constructed; almost all the material for the entire sonata is derived from its first 10 seconds, and many of the apparently transitionary passages are closely linked to its themes. The sonata’s form is cyclic – it is bound together by the first theme of the first movement, which recurs in many surprising forms through the entire piece in every movement (its cleverness of construction rivals Liszt’s great B Minor Sonata, which is something you can only otherwise say of Beethoven). And in terms of dramatic power, it’s hard to imagine a more effective sonata: that hair-raising plunge into the deep bass that opens the piece (and which is actually a lot more than a flourish), the chromatic wail of (part of) the first theme, the transfixed lyricism of the second movement, the towering surge of the finale, and the profusion of bell-like sounds throughout the work (trademarks of Rachmaninoff’s style, which I have indicated in the analysis where I could.)

Mvt 1:
EXPOSITION:
24:29 – Mvt 1, Theme 1 (abbreviated T.I-1) [The theme itself is divided into two components. T.I-1A is the downward third at 24:31, and T.I-1B is the snaking line in the LH at 24:34. Note that the opening arpeggio is actually identical to T.I-1B, with the chromatic E natural removed.]
25:14 – T.I-1A, developed
25:36 – T.I-1B, developed (shortened form in RH, long form in LH)
25:49 – T.I-1A in the downward semiquaver-quaver skips in RH, T-I-1B in the long arc of the melody (Gb-F-Eb-Bb etc), variant on opening arpeggio as middle voice.
26:10 – T.I-2 The second theme is itself derived from T.I-1B’s downward chromatic F-E-Eb. Also note how at 26:22 T-I-1B forms part of the LH accompaniment.
27:10 – T.I-1B in RH high voice
27:24 – T.I-1A in high voice
DEVELOPMENT:
27:55 – T.I-1B (counterpoint, in multiple registers)
28:42 – T.I-2, partial statement [BELLS]
29:06 – T.I-1A, RH (most obvious at 29:11 etc. Note how at 29:06 the LH also outlines the head of T.I-1B)
29:49 – BELLS in LH, joined by RH at 30:02. Lead-back to recapitulation.
RECAPITULATION: 30:17 [Note how the recapitulation does not repeat T.I-1 episodically, as the exposition did]
31:52 – T.I-1B, RH
32:01 – T.I-1A, RH
32:22 – T.I-1B, RH (chromaticism)
33:04 – CODA
33:19 – T.I-1B, LH
33:26 – T.I-1B

Mvt 2:
A SECTION
33:44 – Interlude
34:12 – T.II-1
34:36 – T.I-1A (falling third motif in upper voice)
34:57 – contrasting passage, with elements of T.I-1B in LH lower voice
35:45 – T.II-1, with decorative voice [BELLS]
36:04 – T.II-1, climax
36:40 – transition to ‘B’ section, with T.I-1A (falling third at 36:44 in upper voice, etc)
B SECTION
37:10 – development of T.I-1B (RH and LH)
38:19 – development T.I-1B in RH [BELLS in LH]
38:55 – [BELLS] modulation to E
A’ SECTION
39:14 – return to T.II-1, with shift of rhythmic emphasis (a very simple transformation that makes the theme almost unrecognisable)
[Lugansky – at 17:01 the 1931 version ends Mvt 2 with a reference to T.I-2]

Mvt 3
EXPOSITION
40:27 – Interlude, now in ¾
40:53 – T.III-1A, in Bb (downward arpeggio, with reference to T-I-1A at the beginning)
41:02 – T.III-1B, in Gb (with reference to T-I-1B in its melodic contour and a quote from T-I-1A at 41:05, and a quote from T-I-1B in the RH at 41:06. )
41:33 – T.I-1A/T.III-1A, then T.III-1B at 41:36
41:48 – Transition Theme (unusual 3rd group of themes in a Sonata-Allegro movment)
41:56 – Quotation of T.I-1B
42:21 – T.III-2
DEVELOPMENT
43:25 – T.III-1A (repeated)
43:36 – T.III-1B
43:42 – T.I-1B in RH high voice
[pattern of alternating T.III-1A & T.III-1B in different keys continues]
44:06 – combination of T.I-1A and T.III-1B
44:30 – T.I-1B (LH)
44:59 – T.III-1B & T.I-1A (inverted), RH
RECAPITULATION
45:15 – T.III-1A, in D
45:20 – T.III-1A, in Bb
45:27 – Transition
45:51 – T.III-1A, in Bb
45:46 – T.III-2 [climax]
46:50 – CODA [incorporating T.III-1A, I.1A+B]