Customer Reviews

The Best Of Rachmaninoff

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Since I first heard Orozco play the Rhapsody on tape in '92, I have been trying to find a CD recording of it. It is by far the best recording of the Rhapsody, surpassing Entremont, Cliburn et al with Orozco's brilliant and powerful technique and astonishing clarity of interpretation.

The Second Concerto has always been my favorite, and Orozco and de Waart do not disappoint. Except for one point in the coda, where de Waart misses the tympani to cement the climax, the performance is flawless.

I was impressed with the Rotterdam Philharmonic/de Waart performance of the Second Symphony also. Elegant and beautiful, this piece deserves a velvety touch and de Waart delivers.

The Isle of The Dead is also handled exceptionally by de Waart/RPO and it is as mysteriously beautiful as ever.

The Kriesler/Rachmaninoff transcription is a bonus.

This is a tremendous addition to any collection, and a joy to hear. Truly a 5 star CD.

Music is so subjective, I'm not going to try and convince you of the merits of this music. This is my first Rachmaninoff CD and from this one alone, I am blown away by the composer. It is very inspiring music to listen to while working.
Most importantly, both CDs in the set are extremely good making this an incredible deal. There is no fluff in this set...it is two full CDs of high quality Rachmaninoff for $15.00.

This is my favorite recording of Rachmaninov's 2nd! Orozco and de Waart are thrilling right from the very first note. I keep flipping back to Track 1 just to hear the passionate opening movement! I have Ashkenzy, Vasary, and Entremont's recordings of this piece. The spacious engineering and Orozco's riveting performance keep me coming back to this one! The reading of the Rhapsody is also one of my favorites. I have a special attachment to this work, and these performances do not disappoint my picky taste. I hate to say it, but Orozco's technique and interpretation of the Rhapsody rival the performance with Rachmaninov as soloist with the Phila. Orch.
The other pieces in this "two-fer" are exceptional performances as well. I especially love Orozco's brilliance and technique in the G minor prelude--why couldn't I play it like that in piano lessons??? The Vocalise and Liebeslied are lovely arrangments.
For this price, this set is absolutely essential to anyone interested in Classical music! This is THE recording to have!

Sergei Rachmaninoff remains the most celebrated of the modern Russian composers who retained the spirit of Romantics like Tchaikovsky. In this fabulous recording from the Phillips Label, we are treated to his most cherished piano/orchestral masterpieces. They include the incomparable Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, as performed by the Royal Philharmonic with Spanish pianist Rafael Orozco and conducted by Edo De Waart. This piano concerto is grand in scale and at times borders on Beethovenesque melody. It's dark and brooding and supremely romantic. It was prominently featured in the David Lean 1940'ish film "Brief Encounter" about a romance that is forged on a train ride. The most famous piece associated with the great Rachmaninoff is his Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra. Lush, sweeping romantic melodies sigh and stir on the piano and escalate into voluminous beauty in the orchestra. Upon hearing it, you will recognize it for sure. The Vocalise was originally a piano piece, at times resembling a sort of modern Moonlight Sonata, with a long haunting melodic line, but has become famous as a concert aria and sopranos like Renee Fleming still sing the aria today. As most piano composers tend to do, Rachmaninov transcribed works from other composers for piano and here we hear his lovely piano version of Kreisler's violin work "Liebeslied" or "Love Song". Beautiful! The Preludes are works of tonal beauty and nocturnal moods. Orozco is truly gifted on the piano. Years of training sharpened his musical talents so that he mastered the piano and Rachmaninoff especially. He knows Rachmaninoff's music intimately. He uses flowing rubato and handles the music with a sacred spirit. He breathes life into the works and never succumbs to mechanical playing. Instead, we get colorful musical portraits, complete with evocative imagery, such as in the Isle of the Dead, a symphonic poem that is also terrific in orchestral form. The Symphony No. 2 is another brilliant piece on here. Overall, a fine album and the quality of sound is excellent. At an affordable price, this is a treasure.

This performance of the Rhapsody is absolutely amazing! The Concerto 2 is pretty intense as well, but get it for the Rhapsody -- it is worth it!

Out of my huge collection of classical music, I find these disks being played more often than almost all the rest!

I thing you made a mistake on your homepage.
The correct title is "Piano Concerto No.2" on "Listen to Sample" as below.

Listen to Samples
Disc: 1
1. Piano Concerto No.3 In C Minor, Op.18: 1. Moderato
2. Piano Concerto No.3 In C Minor, Op.18: 2. Adagio sostenuto
3. Piano Concerto No.3 In C Minor, Op.18: 3. Allegro scherzando