Track Listings (7) - Disc #1| All Artists: Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Ax Title: Cello Sonatas Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Sony Original Release Date: 1/1/1991 Re-Release Date: 12/5/1991 Genre: Classical Styles: Chamber Music, Instruments, Strings Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 074644648621, 074644648621, 074644648621, 074644648621 |
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Search - Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Ax :: Cello Sonatas
 | Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Ax Cello Sonatas Genre: Classical
The prize here is the Rachmaninoff cello sonata, a warm, hyper-Romantic musical tapestry that gives both the pianist and cellist a major workout. Ma is a superb chamber-music player, as is Ax. Both offer the kind of artist... more » |
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Amazon.com essential recording The prize here is the Rachmaninoff cello sonata, a warm, hyper-Romantic musical tapestry that gives both the pianist and cellist a major workout. Ma is a superb chamber-music player, as is Ax. Both offer the kind of artistic give-and-take that a great performance of this music requires, while neither weighs the music down with excessive indulgence. The Prokofiev, a very different sort of musical beast, is a much lighter work, but it's done no less well. This is one of Ma's best chamber-music discs. --David Hurwitz Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsDon't forget Prokofiev! 10/08/2000 (5 out of 5 stars) "Yes, the Rachmaninov Sonata is quite a beautiful work -- and this is coming from someone who can't stand Rachmaninov in general! I can't understand how one of the reviewers below could say that Ma and Ax ignore the intensity and climax points of this work. There is intensity, climax, and wonderful direction of phrasing aplenty in this recording. Perhaps such people expect Rachmaninov performances to be always cheezy and sentimental. In fact, the work is assertive and vigorous, though still thoroughly romantic. I'm inclined to think that Rachmaninov performance practice nowadays makes him sound more hopelessly cheezy than he really is. Oh well. But for me, the jewel of this CD is the Prokofiev Sonata. What an eloquent work, full of Prokofiev's deceptive simplicity! There is none of the cheeky energy of, say, the Fifth Symphony or the Seventh Piano Sonata. This work is full of a wistful lyricism, a gentle melancholy. Ma and Ax understand this and perform the work accordingly, with Ma's usually gorgeous phrasing and Ax's strong yet sensitive accompaniment. If you don't fall in love with Prokofiev's first movement, with all those gorgeous melodies and motives, I'm inclined to believe that you don't have any ears or a heart!" One of the best CDs I own Mark Genfan | 12/13/2000 (5 out of 5 stars) "And that says a lot. Ma and Ax deliver a fantastic performance on this CD, which also contains some of the finest recording quality you will ever hear. This CD converted me to Rachmaninov (whom I hadn't like prior to hearing his cello sonata). Ignore what the yahoo below says about Ma and Ax delivering a bad performance - this is an excellent CD, and I recommend it highly." Why I Like Rachmaninov Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 03/21/2000 (5 out of 5 stars) "I never liked Rachmaninov, ever. Ever. But this CD changed my mind in one fell swoop. Listen particularly to the Allegro Scherzando; such demoniac strains mixed with (at least, in the capable hands of Ax and Ma) such lyric, overflowing beauty. And yes, A Music Fan is correct--the Andante is a deeply moving, doleful movement that is played to perfection here. The first time I heard the movement all the way through, I thought in astonishment, "That was absolutely perfect!"--perhaps the only time I've ever felt that way about a performance of anything. There's Prokofiev here too, but it's the Rachmaninov that truly makes this CD shine. One of the most moving musical experiences anyone's likely to have."
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