Advantages: One of the most Romantic concertos around, full of beautiful melodies and passion Disadvantages: over-recorded
INTRODUCTION
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was one of the most promising composers emerging from Russia after Tchaikovsky. His early works included the youthfully energetic PianoConcerto in F sharp minor, Op.1, an orchestral fantasia The Rock, the opera Aleko, several songs, piano pieces (including the famous Prelude in C sharp minor, a work that would plague Rachmaninov with its popularity throughout his life) and the First Symphony in D minor, Op.13. Rachmaninov had high hopes for the latter; it was his magnum opus up until that time. However the symphony proved to be the biggest disappointment of his career, causing a tremendous crisis in his creative life. All the critics jumped on the work, most notably César Cui who compared it with the Seven Plagues of Egypt and condemned the work as modernist trash. The effect ...
Advantages: dynamic and gripping Disadvantages: none
Fantastic to have another additional collection of all five of Beethoven's piano concerti. Spanning his life we can really get to grips with his evolving use of the orchestra in these works. From the Third's action packed finale to the Fourth's beautiful expressions to the grandeur of the much loved Fifth.
The playing is precise, dramatic and full of energy; as indeed it should be.
Aimard's playing is always well crafted and beautifully shaped. This is an insightful disk and has taken the musicians an awful lot of hard work. A must-have for any lover of Beethoven's piano music. If you usually go for his chamber music or string quartets why not branch out and explore Aimard's wonderful take on these concerti? Well worth buying and indeed an inspiration for myself and other pianists alike. ...
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Poor interpretation, sound only adequate
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of this new disc from the Russian virtuoso Arcadi Volodos (UK release date October 2nd 2000). Sadly I was disappointed.
The recording of Rachmaninov's 3rd Pianoconcerto is live and although the sound is perfectly adequate, it lacks the crispness and immediacy of a studio recording. Volodos is technically outstanding, but I feel that he's just going through the motions here, playing the notes with very little thought about what's behind them. It makes for a flat, emotionless and dull performance.
The concerto is coupled with some of Rachmaninov's shorter solo piano pieces, which are better, but still not outstanding.
If you're a huge fan of Volodos, you might want to buy this to add to your collection. If you want to hear a decent recording of Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano ...
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