The challenging pieces of Rachmaninoff are daring, deliberate and very often, daunting.

All could be said about his Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.36. The sonata finds similar structural and musical references to that of his Third Piano Concerto written four years prior (1909), which is considered one of the most difficult concertos out there. The Sonata, like his Third Concerto was not an immediate success with the public, it required a certain level of persistence before breaking into the hearts of the audience.

As the difficulty of the Third Concerto is profound, the second sonata takes that level perhaps one flight higher. The musical layers of this piece alone require such grand technique that it truly is one his most difficult pieces to play with a sense of musical authority. There is no accompaniment with an orchestra to provide color and aura, such forth is all necessitated in the piano solo. Rachmaninoff's educated and elusive knowledge of the keyboard made the technical feats bearable for most trained pianists, the musical aspects are however, less conquerable and more widely challenged.

Part I


Part II

The video features Enrico Pace.

It was common for Rachmaninoff to be in disfavor of several pieces immediately after their composition. The second sonata caused him frustration and he insisted it wasn't his best work. Rachmaninoff left no recording of this piece to reflect on how it should be played or approached. As such he was quite fond of the authoritative performance provided by Vladimir Horowitz, as he had been with Horowitz's rendition of the Third Concerto.

In fact, after Rachmaninoff revised the sonata and still found himself displeased, he gave Horowitz the indefinite authority to do with the work what he pleased.

As for the title of the post, it is a commentary off a website that said. "If Rachmaninoff referred to his Third Concerto as a 'piece for elephants,' than if this were to be true, his second sonata would have to be his piece for rhinoceroses."

Rhino + Rachmaninoff = Rhinomoninoff!!