 |  | Rachmaninov 4 Piano Concertos |  |
The Rachmaninof CD's were were superb - delivered quickly, well packaged and of superior quality. HOWEVER, my second order of 2 Pink Floyd CD's have still not been received - seems overdue to me. Were they shipped? Please advise. Thanks Ron Metzger
December 14, 2008 | | Great Names in Classical Music, but not the best performances | |
For price, this is one of the better sets of the complete Rachmaninov concertos to own. This set is a safe set to own if you are not familiar with the works. Andre Previn a notable pianist and conductor conducts the London Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy at the piano. Ashkenazy is widely considered to be one of the great pianists of our time. All performances are better than average, but there are far better individual performances of these concertos. I recommend Piano Concerto No. 1 with Krystian Zimmerman and Seiji Ozawa, Concerto No. 2 with Benno Moiseiwitcsh and William Kapell with Hugo Rignold and William Steinberg conducting respectively. For Concerto No. 3 I recommend Horowitz with Reiner.
October 20, 2008I have been listening to these recordings for a number of years. And I keep coming back to them. Great interpretation and technical playing. These are among my desert island CDs. Highly recommended.
June 6, 2008A number of years ago, I went to the Classical Record Store in Toronto to acquire a copy of Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos. Like many others, I'd been introduced to Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto by the movie "Shine". When I asked the resident musicologist for Rach 3, she rolled her eyes. I explained that I wasn't remotely interested in the commercial David Helfgott version. I wanted the definitive version. She smiled knowingly and took me to a shelf. This is the version she handed me. Buy it. You won't be disappointed! Ashkenazy is at the peak of his powers and Previn does a phenomenal job with the London Symphony. It doesn't get any better than this.
June 13, 2007| | | The champion of Rachmaninov's music. | |
This is a very good set of Rachmaninov's piano works for a very reasonable price indeed. For those who are unfamiliar with the great russian composer's piano works, from the blazing horns, swelling piano chords and seductive strings opening the first piano concerto you feel right away you're in for a very special musical experience.
Normally, when you know and appreciate what a musician has created throughout his career, there's almost always one piece of work that stands out or that you like more than the others. When it comes to Rachmaninov's piano works, mine would certainly be the Piano Concerto no 3, one of the most beautiful piano works that were ever written, and also the Concerto no 4. There's a certain nostalgia about this latter work, like feelings about a past gone forever, and you can feel this leitmotiv during the whole concerto. Maybe the fact that Rachmaninov wrote this wonderful concerto after having moved permanently to the US and therefore feeling homesick has something to do with it.
As for Mr Ashkenazy, he simply is the best interpreter when it comes to Rachmaninov's piano works. The great Vladimir is temperate rather than romantic, cool and constantly in control: sometimes he seems pouring out rivers of emotions and passion without getting carried away though. He has the musicality and intelligence to understand exactly how these concertos work. He has phenomenal technique, original approach, and his touch is quite fiery at times, gentle and tender at others. He can be poetic and passionate when he needs to.
In Rachmaninov's piano concertos the orchestra plays a vital role, often playing the main theme melodies while the piano accompanies, which is rather unusual. In this regard, the London Symphonic Orchestra and conductor A. Prévin are one of the best. Couple this with Rachmaninov's music and Ashkenazy's interpretation, and you're in for a very special musical treat indeed.
December 24, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(23 reviews)