Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff

Unlike most composer/pianists, Rachmaninoff's instrumental prowess was fully commensurate with his creative gifts. He embraces his youthful First Concertos as if he had encountered an old lover, consumating his passion with stupefying fingerwork in the first movement cadenza. Conversely, the composer seems bored in the Third. He laconically dispatches its torrents of notes, opts for the easier ossias in difficult passages, and makes cuts in the first and third movements. And pianists like Arturo Michelangeli and Earl Wild have recorded more incisive, demonic Rach Fourths. No question about the Paganini Rhapsody and Second Concerto, where Rachmaninoff's fierce authority and luscious, molten tone permeate every bar. RCA's transfers, however, could have been better. --Jed Distler Amazon.com

outstanding - in spite of the sound

This set, to use a term from the Penguin guide, is pretty much self-recommending. I would just add, the sheer strength of sonority from the piano comes over very well in spite of the age of the recording. One recalls critics saying that a great voice can overcome recording limitations - and this voice can be human or instrumental. Although the orchestral sound is somewhat constricted, it is better than many of the recordings of the NBC Orchestra under Toscanini (of the same era), and the composer receives excellent support from both conductors. The famous 18th variation of the Paganini Rhapsody gets a passionate response from the strings.

It is a very exciting album and well worth hearing. June 30, 2008

Rach 2 and 3

The best piece of music you ever hear. The way he play his own pieces you will remembr forever. I listened for the same song for days... So different from anyone else. May 9, 2008

nice historical recording

Nice to hear the composer play his compositions, the recordings are due to the technique rather flat (less dynamic) than modern recordings, and strangely the background noise can be heard more in a car than when listening to a hifi installation at home. May 8, 2008

Beautiful Music

The Music is just fantastic. I acctually watched first the movie "Shine" that is about a pianist, you should watch it. April 18, 2008

Rachmaninov By Rachmaninov

I had the RCA LP versions of these recordings by Rachmaninov that were issued during his centennial in 1973. The quality of the CD versions is an improvement but one must remember that these are mono recordings (from the 1920's, 30's and 40's) made before the existence of tape so they cannot be judged against today's digital discs. These are, and remain, valuable as definitive readings by the composer. The ear will adjust to the sound quality in any case, and having quite a few older recordings in my collection I can say that these are remarkably clear.

Throughout all of these recordings the brilliance of Rachmaninov's playing shines. I doubt that any better recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini exists (who can forget the wonderful playing of the memorable Variation 18) and the Second Concerto is beautifully played with each phrase flowing into the next and the middle movement played with great affection. In the case of the Fourth Concerto, Rachmaninov made some additions to the orchestration that was most recently used by Stephen Hough and Andrew Litton for their recordings of the concertos. It was the recording of the Fourth by Rachmaninov and Ormandy that let Andrew Litton to restore these additions for his own recording.

Certainly, this set of the concerti should sit beside more modern recordings in one's collection. There may be Rachmaniov concerti recordings with better sound but they are, arguably, not better played.
April 2, 2008

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