Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Berlin Sinfonie Orchester with Peter Rosel
Conducted by Kurt Sanderling

2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Berlin Sinfonie Orchester with Peter Rosel
Conducted by Kurt Sanderling

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Music, Sergey Rachmaninov, Kurt Sanderling, Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Peter Rosel, Classical, Classical Music, Concerto, Piano Concerto

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Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 [Australia]
Katin , De Larrocha , Previn , and London Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000024DEF
Release Date: 2002-01-28

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.3 In D Minor, Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Intermezzo Adagio
Finale- Alla Breve
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F Sharp Minor, Vivace
Andante
Allegro Vivace

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

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Thrilling Rachmaninov!

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Sergei Rachmaninov , Benno Moiseiwitsch , Malcolm Sargent , Philharmonia Orchestra , and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Moiseiwitsch Plays Rachmaninov, Medtner, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian
Great Pianists: Moiseiwitsch 2
Delius: Piano Concerto; Ravel: Jeux d'eau; Debussy: Clair de lune
Moiseiwitsch: Grieg Piano Concerto
Moiseiwitsch plays Schumann, Brahms, Mussorgsky

ASIN: B00005U4WA
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: Vivace
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: Andante
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: Allegro vivace
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Moderato
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Allegro scherzando

Customer Reviews:

Thrilling Rachmaninov!.......2004-02-14

I am absolutely astounded that no one has reviewed this extraordinary release before now. It contains some of the most thrilling playing of Rachmaninov I've ever heard. It matters not that the sound is a bit dated. Transfer engineer Ward Marston has taken care of that; he has provided what are truly outstanding sonics for even the oldest recordings here, the Second Piano Concerto and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, both recorded in 1937.

I have come more and more to treasure the recordings made by Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890-1963), and Naxos is doing a wonderful service by releasing newly transferred versions of many of his recordings. They have now released at least six CDs that I'm aware of and I'm slowly acquiring them all. He had, until recent months, been only a name to me, but I can unequivocally state to you that he is one of the most elegant, musical and clean-playing pianists I've ever encountered. All that, and he had personality, too. Rachmaninov highly praised his playing of his music, even when his recordings competed with Rachmaninov's own. This 1937 recording of the Second Concerto competed head to head with Rachy's own and consequently didn't have as much notice as it might have. But it deserves its current distribution, and dare I say it, I prefer it to Rachy's own - should I be hanging my head in shame? - and the equal of my sentimental favorite, Rubinstein/Reiner/Chicago. (Those super-fast staccato right-hand octave triplets in scherzando section of the first movement are the cleanest and most electrifying I've ever heard.)

As for the Rhapsody, it is without question the most thrilling I've ever heard. He takes it faster than usual in the earlier variations and this makes the piece take on a sparkle I've never encountered before. And when he comes to the popular 18th variation his contabile is the equal of any great singer. Then listen to the impressive lightness of touch in Variation 21. Quicksilver. He is not let down in the accompaniment by the London Philharmonic under Basil Cameron (a usually merely serviceable conductor who, here, breathes with his soloist).

Finally, a few words about the First Concerto recording. It was made in late 1948, at the very end of the 78 rpm era (indeed, Columbia had already just come out with long-playing records). It was never issued on LP and thus was virtually lost. Ward Marston, however, had made a tape from a well-preserved set of test pressings and this transfer is made from that tape. And thank goodness for that. I have no idea why the First Concerto isn't played more often. It is, in my estimation, the equal of the much more popular Second and Third, but obviously my opinion doesn't get it played on concert programs. I've only heard it live once in fifty years of concert-going. Okay, perhaps it is more like Tchaikovsky than the later concerti, but is that so bad? Moiseiwitsch plays it as the showpiece it is. As for the patented Rachmaninov 'big tunes,' they're all here. Malcolm Sargent conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra and although there are some sour patches (the playing? the recording? I don't know) the accompaniment is generally fine. More to the point, though, is the sensitive and yet bravura playing of Moiseiwitsch. Listen, for instance, to the embroidery the piano provides at the second appearance of the first movement's big tune in the orchestra. The second movement swoons, just as it should, with left-hand patterns that prefigure those in the Third Concerto. The third movement is, of course, a barn-burner with glinting right-hand runs and ten-finger chords that take one's breath away. Frankly, Moisewitsch manages these as brilliantly as Ashkenazy or Byron Janis in their celebrated recordings.

Strongly recommended for those who are interested in fabulous playing and not bothered by dated sonics (and they're actually quite good for their time, thanks to engineer Marston).

TT=78:12

Tracks:

Con No.1 in f#, Op.1: 1. Vivace
Con No.1 in f#, Op.1: 2. Andante
Con No.1 in f#, Op.1: 3. Allegro Vivace
Con No.2 in c, Op.18: 1. Moderato
Con No.2 in c, Op.18: 2. Adagio Sostenuto
Con No.2 in c, Op.18: 3. Allegro Scherzando

Customer Reviews:

Consistently satisfying.......2005-04-04

Peter Rosel and Kurt Sanderling take great care in balancing the overall architecture of these works in equal measure with highlighting details, illustrating more than usual how those details help support the whole edifice. It is a symphonic concept - not a mainly pianistic one, nor an overtly orchestral one, but an approach combining the best of both those worlds, illuminating the embarrassment of riches Rachmaninov wrote into them.

The benefits of this approach become immediately apparent at the start of the First Concerto. Usually, after the horns sound the opening fanfare, the pianist rushes down the keys like a pack of hounds on the hunt, and the vying back and forth that follows between the pianist showing what he can do and the orchestra trying to reassert itself undermines the structure of the piece. Not here. No note is thrown away carelessly; each passage is weighed for its maximum structural and dramatic import. A vocal quality lingers heavily over the proceedings, much to the piece's benefit, and one can hear for once how thoroughly Russian opera influenced Rachmaninov's compositional style.

The Second Concerto does not want for tension and gains in resolve, especially in its opening measures (has anyone heard the low notes in the left hand tolled as bell-like, or underpin the piano solo quite so solidly?). The lower strings are both luscious and melancholy, the piano every bit their equal in both interpretation and sound, and the lower brass a subtle but firm support for the strings, warm-sounding and never strident. I had always thought of Rachmaninov's orchestration of this concerto as string-heavy, but here the wind and brass parts are given their due, adding colors and textures I did not know were written into the piece.

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 [United Kingdom]

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Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 [United Kingdom]
Collard , Plasson , and Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulouse
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000064867
Release Date: 2002-08-05

Tracks: