Rachmaninoff Mvt II from Piano Concerto No. 2 - Easy Piano Arrangement

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Movement II, Adagio sostenuto, from Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

PDF Sheet music, piano solo
Simple Solutions piano arrangement by Henrik Kilhamn

Approximate Grade: 5+
Scale 1 - 8: Beginner - Advanced

Key: Easy key F major + Original key E major included

The slow movement from Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano concerto has this fascinating property of striking a unique tone not like anything else. The uneven juxtaposition of groups of four triplets in the piano against quarter notes in the winds; the chromatic inching downward with every sequence; the organic breathing of the phrases – everything works just perfectly together. This arrangement is in a way an impossible task since the material is more substantial than can fit in here. But I did it anyway. The main compromise is leaving out the bass, but in return you get to play both the iconic triplets and the lovely melody together – something you never do in the solo part! After one round of melody there’s no point in repeating it as the original switches parts between piano and orchestra. Then we also skip over the stirring middle section and go directly into the gripping Coda.

This arrangement is the most difficult in Volume 4, not least because requires a lot of 3-against-2 polyrhythms between melody and accompaniment since it’s a core facet of the musical material.

This arrangement is included in Simple Solutions Volume 4 - An Orchestral Orchard (Intermediate ~ Grade 4-5)

Also, check out:
Simple Solutions Volume 1 (Elementary ~ Grade 3)
Simple Solutions Volume 2 (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)
Simple Solutions Volume 3: Nights & Dreams (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

ABOUT SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

The Simple Solutions series came from the idea that even not-professionally trained pianists should be able to enjoy the feeling of playing great music from the piano repertoire with their own hands. This is possible with some clever rearranging of the musical material: reducing the range of independent voices and jumps while preserving core ideas of melody and rhythm. In this easier setting, you will instead have enough time on your hands (literally!) to bring the music to life and care about those aspect that often otherwise come second: phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and balance. This will help you develop your over-all musicality, which will be of great value in all other pieces as well.

In the end, if you feel ready for a challenge and want to go forward with proper piano studies that requires years of practice – you can always move on to more advanced arrangements or original piano compositions. They will always be there. In the meantime, these arrangements will bring you close to the same enjoyment as the full versions, because all musical ideas are carefully conserved.

They are just a little bit easier.

The arrangement comes in two versions: both transposed to an easier key signature as well as kept in the original key.

The "Easy Key" transposed version is recommended for the most comfortable Simple Solutions experience. It's much easier to read notes without many sharps or flats, which frees up a lot of attention for all other musical aspects solely at a cost if you have perfect pitch. The version in original key serves the purpose of constituting a proper stepping stone if you wish to continue with the original version / more advanced arrangements in some capacity later on.