Search - Sergey Rachmaninov, Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski :: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3

The REAL Rachmaninov

Warren R. Davis | 08/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Who says Rachmaninov's music is shallow and too sentimental? Blasphemy!! Maybe some over-indulgent performances by naive pianists give that impression, but on this recording, with the composer himself at the keyboard (and he was one of the greatest of all pianists) there isn't the faintest suggestion of sappyness anywhere. Sure, there's passion in his "interpretation" (if you can call it that) but he lets his passion flow through the music, not overwhelm it.Of course, the audiophile types who love glitz and glitter won't be pleased by the prehistoric recordings, but I say, great musicianship over great technology!! Don't miss out on this just because of the sound quality. It's a five-star performance if I ever heard one. I'd suggest getting, along with this, the companion disc, featuring the (undeservedly) less well known 1st and 4th concertos and the Paganini rhapsody"

Russian Winter Moods

Joe Anthony (a.k.a. JAG 1) | Massachusetts, USA | 12/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During winter, we here in New England, sometimes get a taste of Russian weather (cold and snow). It is at hese times when I think it is most appropriate to pull out my collection of Russian music: mainly Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Liadov and Shostakovich. Rachmaninoff's Second and Third Piano Concertos are most appropriate for bringing forth a good, brooding, Russian winter mood.



Though the Second Concerto is the most popular (even finding its way into American movie sound tracks and popular songs); I always liked the Third one better: I find it to be more mysterious and darker in emotional quality. In Rachmaninoff, as in Tchaikovsky, you seem to get the over-arching feel of the suffering of the Russian people.



I bought this CD specifically to hear Rachmaninoff himself at the piano. Though these recordings are very old and of poor quality by today's standards, Rachmaninoff's aura was such that, while listening, I eventually forgot about the "tinny" filter and the background noise. Rachmaninoff sounded just as I expected: grand, brooding, severe, sometimes glimmering, but more a craftsman than a Romantic.



Comparisons for Concerto #2: Askanazy/Kondrashin/Moscow Phil.; Graffman/Bernstein/NYPO; Richter/Warsaw Phil Orch



Comparisons for Concerto #3: Horowitz/Ormandy/NYPO; Horowitz/Reiner/RCA Orch.



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