Search - Sergey Rachmaninov, Idil Biret :: Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

Stephen T. from ASHLAND, OR
Reviewed on 9/19/2010...

An excellent recording. The Sonata #1 is not recorded often, so it's nice to have both sonatas on the same CD.

Recommendable for the budget conscious

Michael Whincop | GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, QLD AUSTRALIA | 11/17/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although I found Biret's Rachmaninov Etudes seriously disappointing, I have heard enough good performances by her to listen willingly to these two sonatas. The disk certainly has the advantage of a logical -- but quite unusual -- coupling, with the added advantage of cost and good sound. The First is quite a good performance. As ever, Biret is scrupulous in making every note absolutely clear, her sound is attractive, and there is none of the choppiness that characterises the Etudes. But, in the finale, and in much of the Second, I feel a need for more thrust. In the lyrical passages, Biret winds down. Rachmaninov really doesn't need wallowing, and in the Second Sonata, the fierce excitment of the work is lost beyond a certain tempo. For a sharp comparison compare the last few minutes of Biret with Horowitz's CBS recording.So, budget-conscious consumers may find this a good deal -- a reasonable first and a tolerable second in the superior 1913 version. Those willing to splash out are urged to Fiorentino's all-surpassing First and Cliburn's famous Second (or Kempf if DDD is essential)."