Rachmaninov Piano Concertos

The box set Great Piano Concertos has been produced to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Naxos and draws on their extensive catalogue of concerto recordings. The recording quality varies from the older 1980’s recordings but there are some good things to enjoy in the 10 CD set particularly Idil Biret playing the two Chopin piano concerts with the Slovak State Philharmonic under Rubert Stankovsky. The two Liszt concertos with Eldar Nebolsin and the RLPO under Petrenko are also very enjoyable as is Jenő Jando playing the Grieg and Schumann concertos with the Budapest Symphony under András Ligeti.

Sergei Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos Nos.2 & 3
Lilya Zilberstein, Piano / Claudio Abbado / Berliner Philharmoniker
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 286 MB | Full Artwork: 64 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon # 439 930-2 GH | Country/Year: Germany 1994
Genre: Classical | Style: Late Romantic, Early 20th Century

"…DG's new recording is magnificently balanced, creating a darkly glittering tapestry of sound and Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic could hardly be more acute or sympathetic partners. Those interested primarily in the Second Concerto should certainly winkle this disc out from a dauntingly long list of alternatives." ~Grammophone

Pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy's acclaimed interpretations, together on one super low-priced set! Also includes Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini; 24 Preludes; Suites 1 & 2; Etudes-tableaux , and Piano Sonata 2 . Other performers include Andre Previn and the London Symphony.

As everyone with a thesaurus knows, urgency rhymes with emergency. And these performances of Rachmaninov's works for piano and orchestra by Stephen Hough with Andrew Litton leading the Dallas Symphony are nothing if they are not urgent. Hough's tempos are quick and strong and vital, with plenty of rubato and lots of accelerando. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that.

The outstanding young German pianist Joseph Moog makes his debut on ONYX with a superb disc of two great Russian piano concertos that have had very different fates. Anton Rubinstein s 4th was once one of the most famous and popular concertos in the repertoire, and many of the major virtuosos performed this work into the early years of the 20th century when the composer s other works vanished from the concert hall.

Martha Argerich's reputation is secure. She will go down in history as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, touching everything she does with a scorching genius. And of her all-too-few recordings, this is one of the most celebrated: live performances of two of the great warhorses of the piano concerto repertoire, here transformed into the sleekest, most finely honed of racehorses. Tantalisingly, her Rachmaninov Third had to wait 13 years before it was issued, but when it finally arrived no one was in any doubt that it had been worth the wait. Its epic 45-minute span emerges here as a single stream of consciousness, with the finale as brilliantly explosive as you'll ever hear it.

It's a wonderful treat to find an album whose interest rests equally on its musical as well as historical merits. As such, the present two-disc sets of the complete Rachmaninoff concertos and Paganini Rhapsody cannot be beat. The three pianists heard here – Richter, Zak, and Oborin – represent the pinnacle of postwar Russian pianists. Richter is most likely the one still known to the majority of American listeners. But Zak (who was immensely influential not only as a performer but as a pedagogue) and Oborin (who was the first winner of the Chopin Competition) were recognized equally during their lifetimes. All three had a profound and obvious command of Rachmaninoff, and the performances heard here clearly demonstrate this fact.

[These recordings, dating from 1959 and 1960, have been staple entries in the classical catalogues since they were first issued. This is despite well chronicled unusual tempi in the Rachmaninov and distinctly wiry string tome especially in the Prokofiev. This latter partly to do with age but more to do with the players pushed to their technical limits.[/quote]