Search - Sergey Rachmaninov, Jascha Horenstein, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra :: Sergi Rachmaninoff: Concertos Nos. 1 & 4/Rhapsody, Op. 43

Great CD of classic performances.

Alexander Leach | Shipley, West Yorkshire United Kingdom | 05/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are four piano concertos, and the Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, written in 1934 and the last of his works for piano and orchestra. The composer's own mono recordings are indispensable as a point of reference. The best transfers of all five works are on two Naxos CDs issued in 1999.This is a very fine (and well filled) CD of concertos Nos 1 and 4 and the Paganini Rhapsody, by Earl Wild: this account of the Rhapsody can lay claim to be the most brilliant ever recorded.If the two concertos are occasionally played a little too quickly for comfort, they can be regarded as a dazzling bonus for the Rhapsody. The recordings date from the mid-1960s but still sound marvellous.The best performance of No 1 on record is probably that by Mikhail Pletnev on Virgin Classics made in 1987: his playing in the slow movement is exquisite. The coupled Paganini Rhapsody is also recommendable: not quite in the class of Wild's but a fine performance all the same."