Search - Rachmaninoff, Wild, Rpo :: Piano Concerti 1-4 / Rhapsody on Theme of Paganini

A landmark recording of Rachmaninoff's Concertos

10/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There has never been a finer set of Rachmaninoff's Concertos. Needless to say, Wild has the virtuosity to bring the works off with tremendous flair and gorgeous, robust tone. But it is his musicianship that really is amazing. Wild and Horenstein offer quite a bit more passion and urgency than Ashkenazy or Cliburn do in their famous versions. The recorded sound is excellent. Since these concertos receive so many routine or overdone performances, this set is a welcome reissue."

Just gets better with age!

David Staudenmeir | Columbus, Ohio | 12/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a pianist with an affinity for the romantic, my introduction to Earl Wild and Rachmaninov was when, in the 1960s, my mother bought us the Readers Digest set of records (when they first came out) from which this CD is made -- it was love at first sight (hearing)! (Guess who took the records with him when he went off to college??!). I thought these were wonderful recordings and interpretations when I first heard them (despite my youth and inexperience then), and now approx. 40 years later (having heard a number of other recordings in the intervening years), my opinion is unchanged. Being a romantic pianist in the spirit of Rachmaninov and Horowitz, Earl Wild sets a very high standard here. It doesn't get any better than this. Only two regrets -- the lack of the full uncut version of the 3rd (the cuts were sanctioned by the composer in a time when audience attention spans were not nearly so long as they are today), and the notable and very regrettable absence of the Isle of the Dead from this CD (which was also on the original set of 1960s records -- an evocative, exciting tone poem in its own right, rendered as well or better than any other I've heard by Horsenstein and company. Wild's 1st and 2nd concerti and Rhapsody from this set are the best I've heard and are still the standard by which I judge other performances of the same pieces (ditto for the Isle of the Dead)."

Easily the best

Terry Kildal | Seattle, WA USA | 02/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The collaboration between Wild and Horenstein is breathtaking. The sound of the orchestra has a presence that I have not found on any other set. I prefer this 3rd concerto to any of the others I have heard...for it's sheer excitement. I have heard all of the Horowitz versions, Kissin, Volodos,Cliburn,Janis,Gavrilov, Ashkenazy and this beats them. While all of the others have spectacular moments, on the whole this 3rd is the best. (Some will want to have another rendition because of the shortened cadenza and I can understand this). If you have only one set, this is the one to own."