Runtime: approx. 32 mins

Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in 1873 in Staraya Russa, Russia, and achieved fame in his lifetime primarily as a virtuoso pianist. Although he spent most of his career in Russia, he emigrated to the United States in 1917, where he found a much more receptive audience than he had often faced in Western Europe. Today, his music, particularly his piano concertos, has become a staple of the orchestral repertoire, with his works among the most frequently performed and beloved by audiences in the United States.

Prior to the composition of the Second Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff had fallen into a major slump. His First Symphony had been roundly rejected, and he responded by drinking too much and composing too little. Eventually, in a bid for recovery, he began to undergo daily hypnotherapy. His doctor, Nikolai Dahl, reportedly employed the mantra “You will begin to write your concerto… You will work with great facility… The concerto will be of excellent quality…” to reignite his productivity. It appears to have worked—after several months of sessions, Rachmaninoff began to compose what has become one of the most famous piano concertos in the classical repertoire. Note to self: look into hypnotherapists in Birmingham.

Despite its legacy, the concerto was not altogether lauded upon its premiere. European critics found it to be shallow and overly simple. A 1927 Liverpool Post article deemed it a “somewhat catchpenny work,” with “plenty of rather cheap glitter.” But Russian pianist Nikolai Medtner heard something deeper, deeming the first movement’s sighing melody “one of the most strikingly Russian of themes… from the first bell stroke, you feel the figure of Russia rising up to her full height.”

It seems the unapologetically lush melodies and simplistic forms of Russian Romanticism did not resonate with European ears, and comparable criticisms also befell composers like Tchaikovsky, who similarly dared to infuse his music with that distinctly Russian sound. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from Taylor Swift, it’s that Americans love glitter! Jokes aside, Rachmaninoff, along with Tchaikovsky and a few others, did eventually find greater appreciation in the United States, and years later, melodies by both were turned into crooning ballads. It’s even been suggested that the second movement of this concerto served as the inspiration for the hit song “All By Myself.”

Saccharine as the piece may be, its languorous lines and pleasing flair scratch the kind of itch reached by rom-coms and action flicks. Every line finishes exactly as you hope it will, and it revels in its own beauty the way one lingers a little too long in the mirror after applying lipstick with a name like “Femme Fatale.” It’s a supremely satisfying listen that features a thrilling amount of pianistic flash and hummable tunes that—I warn you—will get stuck in your head.