The Piano Concerto no. 2 in Cm Op. 18 was composed by Rachmaninoff between 1900-1. The work was fully premiered in 1901 (a premiere of the second and third movements had been held the year before). This piece, dedicated to Nikolai Dahl, is one of Rachmaninoff's most enduringly popular ones. The publishing of this piece confirmed his recovery from a depression in which he had fallen after the failure that his first symphony had been in the eyes of critics (though now it is considered a significant achievement). It is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B♭ (I mov.) and A (II & III mov.), 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B♭, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, solo piano, and strings. The Adagio sostenuto theme appears in Eric Carmen's 1975 ballad "All by Myself". Carmen first composed the song's interlude, then took the bridge from Rachmaninoff and the chorus from his own "Let's Pretend". Carmen explained that Rachmaninoff was his "favorite music". The second theme of Allegro scherzando provides the basis for Frank Sinatra's 1945 "Full Moon and Empty Arms".
