Second symphony

Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony emerged during a period of artistic reorientation following the failure of his First Symphony. Completed in 1908, the work reveals the composer at the height of his melodic inventiveness and orchestral mastery. The symphony breathes the spirit of Russian late Romanticism, combining Tchaikovsky's symphonic tradition with Rachmaninoff's unmistakable musical language of wistful melodic arcs and lush harmonies.

Characteristic of the work are the expansive, cantabile melodies that unfold over rich harmonic textures. Rachmaninoff exploits the full potential of the large late-Romantic orchestra without descending into mere showmanship. The instrumentation displays that elegance and coloristic splendor that distinguishes his orchestral works.

The E minor symphony is considered one of the last great testaments to Romantic symphonism before the shift to Modernism. It embodies that melancholic underlying mood that characterizes Rachmaninoff's output, and is said to have met with great public acclaim from the outset—a marked contrast to the fate of the First Symphony.