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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1	I. Vivace - Moderato - Vivace - Eugene Ormandy
2	II. Andante - Eugene Ormandy
3	III. Allegro vivace - Andante ma non troppo - Tempo I - Eugene Ormandy
4	I. Allegro vivace - Moderato - Allegro assai - Eugene Ormandy
5	II. Largo - Eugene Ormandy
6	III. Allegro vivace - Eugene Ormandy
7	Introduction - Allegro vivace
8	Variation I - (Precedente)
9	Tema - L'istesso tempo
10	Variation II - L'istesso tempo
11	Variation III - L'istesso tempo
12	Variation IV - Più vivo
13	Variation V - Tempo precedente
14	Variation VI - L'istesso tempo
15	Variation VII - Meno mosso, a tempo moderato
16	Variation VIII - Tempo I
17	Variation IX - L'istesso tempo
18	Variation X - Poco marcato
19	Variation XI - Moderato
20	Variation XII - Tempo di minuetto
21	Variation XIII - Allegro
22	Variation XIV - L'istesso tempo
23	Variation XV - Più vivo scherzando
24	Variation XVI - Allegretto
25	Variation XVII - (Allegretto)
26	Variation XVIII - Andante cantabile
27	Variation XIX - A tempo vivace
28	Variation XX - Un poco più vivo
29	Variation XXI - Un poco più vivo
30	Variation XXII - Un poco più vivo (Alla breve)
31	Variation XXIII - L'istesso tempo
32	Variation XXIV - A tempo un poco meno mosso

Disc: 2

1	I. Moderato - Piu vivo - Maestoso - Moderato
2	II. Adagio sostenuto
3	III. Allegro scherzando
4	I. Allegro ma non tanto
5	II. Intermezzo - Adagio
6	III. Finale - Alla breve

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Unlike most composer/pianists, Rachmaninoff's instrumental prowess was fully commensurate with his creative gifts. He embraces his youthful First Concertos as if he had encountered an old lover, consumating his passion with stupefying fingerwork in the first movement cadenza. Conversely, the composer seems bored in the Third. He laconically dispatches its torrents of notes, opts for the easier ossias in difficult passages, and makes cuts in the first and third movements. And pianists like Arturo Michelangeli and Earl Wild have recorded more incisive, demonic Rach Fourths. No question about the Paganini Rhapsody and Second Concerto, where Rachmaninoff's fierce authority and luscious, molten tone permeate every bar. RCA's transfers, however, could have been better. --Jed Distler

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.9 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches; 1.6 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Sony Classical
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 090266165827
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 1994
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 17 minutes
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2006
Label ‏ : ‎ Sony Classical
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000003FGS
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Best Sellers Rank: #76,706 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #943 in Classical Concertos

Customer Reviews:
4.6 321 ratings

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T. Williamson

Master of tempo and style

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2018

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I consider this one of my favorite pre-1950 recordings. For me these are all about translating the technical and stylistic choices made, not for ultimate "listenability." Compared with a modern recording, I'd give the sound quality a 5.5 of 10, but better than many others I've heard. It's smooth enough, but with some hiss, and the dynamics are just about dead flat, However, listened at lower than normal levels, it is enjoyable. What I find most striking that I wanted to mention here is that Mr. Rachmaninoff chooses an interesting tempo on the first movement of his 4th. He fairly scampers, (almost swings?) instead of plodding through the opening phrase. I have not heard that on ANY other renditions since, and oh, I guess I've heard 10 or 12 that come to mind....Why is that I wonder? It adds a certain marvelous urgent, almost desperate quality, instead of a dirge-like funereal march quality that so many other pianists impart....anyway, he is in flight throughout, and it's bizarre that so many other pianists and conductors have missed that major quality of this Concerto....It better introduces the ethereal quality of the 2nd movement, and unlike so many others he keeps the tempo skipping along, not fast, mind you, but thankfully not spacey.....anyway, just a few thoughts for anyone interested....

41 people found this helpful

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David L. Robinson

Only for big fans of Rach

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2010

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If this is the first time you are buying a recording of Rachmaninoff's concerto's and you don't plan to buy other interpretations of this work, then this is probably not the best selection for you. If you already have more than one set of recordings of this music and you want to get an idea of how the composer interpreted his own work then give it a try. This audio recording is old and the clarity is often lacking making it difficult to pick up the nuances of style that differentiates one pianist from the next. It is by no means a CD quality recording, for example the loud surface hiss of an old vinyl recording has been faithfully reproduced. I also don't believe that a composer is always the very best musician to play his own works despite some of the other comments made about this product. Most composers don't want to tell people what they were thinking when they composed their music or how to interpret it, because one interpretation of music is not always the best for all people despite what the Rachmaninoff drooling fans might in some cases claim. More than that, Rach himself would never be so conceited to believe that nobody would ever play his works better than himself. If you are a big fan of the 3rd concerto the poor audio quality seems to drown out some of the magic spark that should have been there for such a great piece of music. In fact during the louder passages the audio distortion made it painful to listen to. Still I did like the recording of the 1st, and 2nd concertos and will no doubt enjoy listening to all of these recordings again even though the audio quality was a problem.

How often does any fan of a classical composer get a chance to hear the composer himself play his own work, especially when that composer was also a world class virtuoso. Wish I could have watched and listened to Rach play these in person.

16 people found this helpful

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Mike Gardner

Digitally remastered Superb, Amazing Recording

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2014

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In addition to editing a thick music tome, I'm a math/physics/engineering professional who has some appreciation for what the technical folk had to do with these original recordings (some from 1929) to get them to sound as nearly flawless as they have do here.
These recordings are priceless treasures. I was entranced to hear the nuances that Rachmaninoff put in his performance. Were it not for the hiss from the wax masters (from the graphite particles) these could have been done "today" (albeit in mono).
My mother heard him perform *live* when she was in college and she told me what an experience it was for her and the rest of the audience. This recording closes the loop for me, as it were. If you enjoy Rachmaninoff (and these are arguably among his greatest works), you must get and listen to these remastered recordings. If you think you are unfamiliar with his work, you probably are wrong: So many have borrowed his melodies or even lifted them directly as movie sound tracks that you have undoubtedly heard at least a good sampling before.
This is your chance to hear a recording by the actual master composer and performer himself... The Last of the Great Russian Romantic Composers....
What a find... What a treasure ... What an experience!

45 people found this helpful

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Shamoe

Beautiful music, but some background hissing

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019

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I have listened to many pianists playing Rachmaninoff's concertos. There is always something that's not quite right (too loud in one part, not enough emphasis on another part, too fast here, too slow there, not enough expression etc...) But listening to Rachmaninoff himself playing his own music was the ultimate, especially with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It's a very satisfying experience to hear the right tonality, the emphasis, the balance, the lyrical notes just right where they should be. It's too bad there is some hissing in the background because of how old the original recording was. Despite this technical detail, the music was beautifully played. I would rather listen to this than to a more modern recording of another pianist playing Rachmaninoff. Well worth it for me.

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DeRossi

The Composer plays himself

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021

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There are many recordings of the Rachmaninoff Concerti, but only this one features the composer himself. Clearly a talented pianist, he plays better than most, although the interpretation may not be what one expects. If so, change expectations and learn from this recording. Although the sound quality of concerti recorded in the 1930s and 1940s is not as good as today, it also isn't a bad as recordings of previous decades and does not detract. In sum, highly recommended

5 people found this helpful

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W. Swales

‘Must hear’ virtuoso performances played by a child prodigy from ‘the golden age’ of piano music

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2016

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There is a long unbroken line of virtuoso pianists stretching right back to the nineteenth century. Virtuoso pianists include (in no particular order): Liszt; Chopin; Schubert; Schumann; Grieg; Strauss; Rachmaninov; Saint-Saens; Prokofiev; Paderewski; Horowitz; Popper; Backhaus; Ravel; Faure; Hoffman; Zeisler; Gershwin; Grainger; Lhevinne; Novaes; Solomon; Kissin; Lupu; Hess; Brendel; Gould; Bolet; Uchida; Lang Lang; and Grovener – each virtuoso interpreting music in their own very personal way to bring us their own ‘magic’.

Shining out like a shaft of gold in a world filled with gloom and despondency (two world wars and a stock market crash) was SERGEI RACHMANINOV – a child prodigy who – like Liszt and Chopin – took composing and piano playing to a whole new level of drama and excitement – the like of which we have seen little of since.

Here we have a musical genius bringing us his wonderful compositions – played with stunning virtuosity. Who cannot resist his wonderful flowing ‘Lilacs’ – and who cannot resist his ‘Prelude in C sharp minor’?

Accompanied by ‘The Philadelphia Orchestra’ conducted by Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski, on this ‘double album’ CD we have 78 recordings of Rachmaninov playing his four Concertos and his 24 variations of ‘Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini’ with fabulous wit and passion.

Sadly, the performances were recorded on primitive sound-capture equipment which had limited frequency response and limited dynamic range so there is surface noise; cramped dynamics; ‘thinness’ of sound; and distortion on the loud passages to contend with because of the limitations imposed by the recording medium of the day (the tape recorder and the microgroove LP record had yet to be invented when these recordings were made) – but hearing Rachmaninov’s wonderful virtuosity makes up for the serious shortfall in sonic fidelity.

As you are obviously a fan of the great man’s fabulous masterpieces, have you ever thought ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to hear Rachmaninov playing his masterworks in astonishing high fidelity?’

And then you might ponder I would love to hear Rachmaninov play ‘Lilacs’ and ‘Prelude in C sharp minor’ in fabulous high-fidelity - ‘what a pity that you can’t - ah well.’

Well I have a wonderful little surprise for you, because it IS possible to hear Sergei performing on a concert grand piano - with FULL frequency response and FULL dynamic range – and not only Rachmaninov – it is also possible to hear Grieg; Strauss; Saint-Saens; Prokofiev; Scriabin; Mahler; Bartok; Stravinsky; Bizet; Granados; Debussy; Faure; Arrau; Serkin; Paderewski; Horowitz; Popper; Hoffman; Gershwin; Granger; Rubenstein and Hess.

‘Goodness – that can’t possibly be true?’ I hear you whisper - and you are right to question the validity of my bold statement – so although we have only just met, as your curiosity is aroused – and so that we may get to know each other a little better - I shall explain how this IS possible.

In 1904 the German company Welte Mignon made an astonishing leap in technology and invented the world’s first ‘reproducing piano’ – a piano that shocked the world because THIS piano did not crudely ‘play the notes’ as instruments such as the ‘Pianola’ did.

Through mechanised DIGITAL decoding (yes really), THIS formidable piano was capable of playing classical music with FULL expression - capturing the full dynamic range of the captured performance – including independent operation of the ‘damper’ and ‘soft’ pedals - all faithfully and accurately ‘recorded’ on a paper ‘music roll’ so as to facilitate playback of every tonal expression, which is so important to beautiful piano playing.

This amazing piano had astonishing control of articulation and dynamics – so much so that European composers from ‘the golden age’ who were keen to leave a timeless legacy of their talent and virtuosity flocked to Austria and America to make ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music roll’ recordings - and before you could say ‘Sergei Rachmaninov’ the Welte Mignon reproducing piano began to grace the homes of high society – and soon other reproducing pianos began to appear – the most notable of these being the ‘Ampico’ (1911); and the ‘Duo-Art’ (1914) (they occasionally come up on eBay should you wish to own one).

Every virtuoso interprets music in a very personal way so what this means is that you hear ‘live’ performances at an incredible level of fidelity from virtuosos such as Strauss and Rachmaninov so you get to hear the masters, rediscover forgotten pieces; and revitalise neglected ones.

People hearing a ‘reproducing piano’ ‘live’ for the first time are usually stunned into jaw-dropping silence as the piano ‘comes to life’ in a really spooky way. Children gasp; women sob; and grown men cry at the wonderful virtuoso performances as they listen to the delicate detail and full tonal and dynamic ‘expression’ - just as Rachmaninov and his contemporaries ‘recorded’ their masterworks onto ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music rolls’ almost a CENTURY ago.

In 1917 the ‘October Revolution’ took place in Russia which prompted Rachmaninov (and others) to flee Russia for America. Now as luck would have it, the American Piano Company had just released their ‘Ampico B’ reproducing piano – and Rachmaninov was approached to ‘record’ ‘music rolls’ to promote this uncanny instrument – a formidable instrument of great beauty capable of reproducing every accent; every nuance; every shade; every crescendo; and every diminuendo from the softest pianissimo to the loudest fortissimo.

By playing a ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music roll’ on a ‘reproducing piano’, what this means is that instead of hearing noisy archaic recordings of Rachmaninov and his contemporaries recorded on primitive recording equipment with mediocre sound-capture and playback capability, what you hear is an ACOUSTICAL RECREATION of a virtuoso performance played the way that Rachmaninov and his contemporaries WANTED you to hear it; as it SHOULD be heard; on a REAL concert grand piano – each and every time you play the CD.

Gasp in awe - you really ARE listening to Rachmaninov playing the PIANO.

Hearing is BELIEVING!

To quote Mahler “The reproducing piano reproduces the living soul of the artist and has not an equal”.

The ‘reproducing piano’ is the device that bridges the 35 year wait for modern electronic recording equipment to be invented (which sadly saw the demise of the reproducing piano – Dame Myra Hess being one of the last virtuosos to make ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music roll’ recordings).

These amazing pianos are now very rare, and to hear one ‘live’ requires research to find ‘mechanical music’ museums that have taken the time and trouble to properly restore them so that you can hear one ‘as it should be heard’ – but thanks to the wonderful people who painstakingly restore these stunning instruments, married to the marvels of modern digital recording technology, you can now hear, experience, and enjoy the virtuosity of Rachmaninov and other great composers and virtuoso pianists playing their own compositions, and the compositions of the greats.

Decca have released TWO Ampico ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music roll’ recordings of Rachmaninov on two CDs - spanning Rachmaninov’s ‘reproducing piano’ recordings from 1919 to 1933 (both available from Amazon) - and they are MAGNIFICENT.

On the ‘Ampico Piano recordings (1919 – 1929)’ you will hear Rachmaninov’s renowned ‘Prelude in C sharp minor’; his beautiful ‘Melodie in E major’; his fabulous ‘Prelude in G minor’; and his tone poem ‘Lilacs’. And if that is not joy enough, you also hear and experience Rachmaninov performing two wonderful ‘feel good’ pieces by Fritz Kriesler.

On the ‘Ampico Piano recordings (1919 – 1933)’ you will hear Rachmaninov play Beethoven’s ‘Turkish March’ with the vim and gusto Rachmaninov is renowned for (you may need to have the floor reinforced to handle the force he delivers on the loud passages) – and then have a box of tissues on standby as you hear the great man perform Gluck’s ‘Melodie dell Orfio’ from ‘Orpheus’ with light poetic delicacy.

Other gems include Rachmaninov playfully ‘snagging the thread’ as he performs Mendelssohn’s ‘Spinning Song’, prior to giving a wonderful interpretation of Chopin’s ‘Waltz in E flat major’ from the ballet ‘Chopiniana’ (the very first ‘romantic’ ‘ballet of mood’ which depicts how a woman rejected by a poet as he chooses between two women, conquers her emotions – now available fully restored on ‘Kirov Classics’ BluRay) – and get those tissues out again as you listen to Rachmaninov play Rubenstein’s’ ‘Barcarole’.

As we seem to have got to know each other a little better, I shall now share a secret with you (shhh – come a little closer so that I can whisper it – but whatever you do - don’t tell anyone – it’s a secret).

The DAL-SEGNO record company have painstakingly compiled and recorded some of the finest composers and pianists that ever lived on a wonderful catalogue of ‘reproducing piano’ ‘music roll’ CDs (available on Amazon - search for ‘dal segno records’).

These include performances from Strauss; Grieg; Paderewski; Rachmaninov; Prokofiev; Scriabin; Mahler; Bartok; Stravinsky; Saint-Saens; Bizet; Granados; Debussy; Faure; Gershwin; Granger; Arrau; Serkin; Lhevinne; Novaes; Horowitz; Rubenstein; and Hess – and this is only scratching the surface of their amazing accomplishment.

Dal Segno have released two special ‘samplers’ from their remarkable catalogue to encourage our children to appreciate timeless compositions performed by virtuoso performers. These are ‘Music for babies’ and ‘Music for children’.

Both CDs are truly magical. Smile and dance as you listen to Percy Granger playing melodies from Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’; dream in wistful reverie as you listen to Claude Debussy play ‘The girl with the flaxen hair’; sing along with gusto as George Gershwin plays ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’ to lift the spirits and gladden the heart; or join Strauss on an epic boat journey that takes you right across Europe as he plays the wonderfully celebrated ‘mind picture’ ‘On the beautiful blue Danube’.

Volume 8 of ‘The great pianists’ features ARTHUR RUBENSTEIN performing Chopin; Rimsky Korsakov; Debussy; Brahms; De Falla; Prokofiev; and Abeniz; on a ‘reproducing piano’ – and Dal Segno’s ‘double album’ CD ‘FREDERIC CHOPIN – the original piano roll recordings’ features Rubenstein and other notables playing Chopin on a ‘reproducing piano’.

No noise – no ‘cramping’; no distortion; no sound ‘thinness’ – just shear bliss as you listen to the masters play on one of the most remarkable inventions of the 20th century – the ‘reproducing piano’ (be warned – once you hear a reproducing piano it is VERY addictive).

Simply purchase the Rubenstein along with the Decca recordings and the other two Dal Segno CD’s and own some of the finest music ever composed for piano played in the highest fidelity by the world’s greatest virtuoso pianists.

And if you wish to go the extra mile, treat yourself or a loved one to ‘Kirov Classics’ on BluRay or DVD (available on Amazon). Here you will find the ballet ‘Chopiniana’ faithfully restored in full colour which contains Chopin’s ‘A major prelude’ in full.

It doesn’t get any better!

Happy listening

6 people found this helpful

Andre Arnold

Rachmaninov war eben selbst sein bester Interpret...

Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2010

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Sergei Rachmaninov war gewiss einer der größten Pianisten des vergangenen Jahrhunderts. Zudem gilt er als der letzte Romantiker. Seine vier Klavierkonzerte gehören zum Standardrepertoire eines jeden modernen Pianisten. Kein Wunder, denn diese Stücke sind einzigartig in ihrer beinahe rhapsodischen Anlage, aber dennoch voller Tiefsinn und Melancholie.
Und da ist es doch interessant, zu erfahren, wie der Komponist selbst diese Werke zu interpretieren geruhte. Nach seiner Emigration in die USA war Rachmaninov insbesondere als Konzertpianist und Dirigent tätig. In den Jahren 1929 bis 1941 nahm er gemeinsam mit dem Philadelphia Orchestra alle seine Klavierkonzerte und die Paganini Rhapsodie auf. Es handelt sich dabei um faszinierende historische Dokumente.

Obwohl sein erstes Klavierkonzert fis moll op. 1 ein ausgesprochenes Frühwerk ist, so trägt es doch schon deutlich die Spuren der typisch rachmaninovschen Klangsprache, die von Schwermut und mürrischem Aufbegehren geprägt ist. Der ausschweifende Kopfsatz legt das Programm des Konzertes fest: Das Orchester tobt, bis das Klavier einsetzt und dem Plenum die Richtung vorgibt. Die burlesken Ausbrüche verleihen dem Werk das typisch Rhapsodische. Der langsame Satz ist schlicht und feierlich gehalten. Im Finale knüpft der Komponist unverhohlen an das kreative Chaos des Kopfsatzes an.

Sein beliebtestes Konzert ist das zweite in c moll op. 18. Das liegt besonders an der über allem schwebenden Lyrik. Rachmaninov schrieb dieses grandiose Werk nach einer schweren Lebenskrise, nachdem die Uraufführung seiner ersten Sinfonie zu einem persönlichen Desaster wurde. Der unheimlich erste Satz schwillt in einigen Passagen so weit an, dass das Orchester wütend die versöhnlichen Klänge des Klaviers übertönt. Aber besonders das melancholische, lyrische Adagio sostenuto brachte dem Werk seinen bis heute dauernden Ruhm. Originellerweise schloss der große Russe das Stück mit einer Art Scherzo ab, die der angespannten Stimmung vor allem des Kopfsatzes entgegenwirkt.

Auch sein drittes Klavierkonzert in d moll op. 30 gehört zu seinen bekannteren Werken. Es ist sein umfangreichstes Konzert und eröffnet mit einem mächtigen, schicksalsschweren Kopfsatz. Auch wenn der langsame Satz nur mit "Intermezzo" betitelt ist, so ist er doch sehr komplex und fragil. Das Finale ist in Form einer Stretta gehalten und stellt einen feurigen Kehraus dar.

Das knappste Klavierkonzert ist das vierte in g moll op. 40. Das verkappte, komplexe Stück hat bis heute keinen rechten Einzug in die Konzerthäuser der Welt gehalten, obwohl sowohl der Kopfsatz als auch das Finale von beinahe jugendlicher Beschwingtheit sind. Besonders der rhapsodische, improvisiert wirkende Aufbau des ersten Satzes ist wirklich herrlich. Auch der kurze, langsame Satz weiß zu überzeugen.

In seinen letzten Jahren hatte Sergei Rachmaninov kaum noch Zeit zum Komponieren. Das, was er aber schrieb, ist von besonderem Wert. Neben seiner dritten und letzten Sinfonie und den sinfonischen Tänzen, die er selbst für sein gelungensten Werk hielt, ist es besonders die Rhapsodie über ein Thema von Niccoló Paganini für Klavier und Orchester op. 43, die zu seinen ganz großen Stücken zählt. Nach einem kurzen Vorspiel setzt der Komponist prompt die erste Variation, bevor das eigentlich Thema - die berühmte 24. Caprice in a moll - produziert wird. Diese erste Variation entblößt das Thema bis aufs Gerüst. Im Laufe des Zyklus baut der Tonsetzer noch ein weiteres Thema ein, nämlich das des dies irae. Es entwickelt sich ein infernalischer Wirbel, der mit der 18. Variation, der großen Weise", eine willkommene Auszeit erfährt.

Wenn man sich diese alten Aufnahmen anhört, ist man vielleicht zunächst etwas befremdet. Rachmaninov legt ein enormes Tempo vor, verweilt sich nur in den langsamen Sätzen. Durch seine scharfe Akzentuierung, seine filigrane Farbgebung und seinen lyrisch melancholischen Anschlag aber - gepaart mit einer phänomenalen Orchesterleistung - interpretiert er seine eigenen Kompositionen über jeden Zweifel erhaben. Das Philadelphia Orchestra spielt zum einen unter dem Dirigat des legendären Eugene Ormandy und zum anderen unter der straffen Führung von Leopold Stokovsky (2. Konzert, Rhapsodie). Der Klang ist freilich alles andere als perfekt. In gewisser Weise passen das Rauschen und die Dumpfheit aber zu den nostalgischen, melancholischen Kompositionen. Es kommt beinahe Kaminfeuerromantik auf.

Fazit: Ich möchte diese Alternative nicht mehr missen, gibt sie uns doch die Möglichkeit, eine Interpretation aus erster Hand mitzuerleben. Und wenn diese dann auch noch so gelungen ist wie die vorliegende, was will man denn dann noch mehr?

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Christian

Un vrai bonheur!

Reviewed in France on March 23, 2014

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Ce coffet contient 2 CD également dans les intégrales de Rachmaninov comme interprète "The complete Recordings" puis "His complete Recordings" de la collection Gold Seal chez RCA Victor rachetée par Berstelsmann autrefois. Toutefois ces dernières étant moins abordable, C'est une chance pour les amoureux de Rachmaninov de pouvoir acquérir ces enregistrements des concertos joué par le génie en personne. Ce sont des enregistrements historiques, alors le son est celui de la technique de 1924 pour le no 2, de 1939-1941 pour les autre concertos, et 1934 pour Rhapsodie sur un thème de Paganini, mais sans craquements et aussi émouvants, sinon plus que les plus beaux enregistrements de l'ère numérique. Pour en savoir plus sur les différents enregistrements des concertos de Rachmaninov par Rachmaninov je conseille le site stokowski.org qui contient des explications et commentaires intéressants et des fichiers que l'on peut écouter en ligne, ou télécharger

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composer_pianist

Great performance, but poor sound transfer. Better NAXOS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2019

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These historic performances are obviously great. However, the digital sound transfer is quite poor when compared to that done by NAXOS for exactly the same recording - much better quality, listen for yourself:

- Concerti 1 & 4 and Paganini Var: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000026B8G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2P4VIAF254M7F&psc=1

- Concerti 2 & 3: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000026B8F/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AVXB5JQRCA15O&psc=1

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Amazon Customer

A real privilege

Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2017

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It's always a real privilege to listen to those famous concerts by one of the great Russian composers of the 20th Century. But here there's a bonus, because there's no second party interpretation of the composer feelings, but the raw and genuine sentiments of the composer himself while offering us his superb piano.

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Rachmaninoff: The Four Piano Concertos; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

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