Hommage à Rachmaninov [Import]

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Mikhail Pletnev (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Mikhail Pletnev
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (April 13, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Dg Imports
• ASIN: B00000IIXM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,912 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Praise of Older Pianos, April 12, 2002

By 

brent taylor (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hommage à Rachmaninov (Audio CD)

I recently returned to this recording after the release of Pletnev's live Carnegie Hall recital and it continues to amaze me. Using Rachmaninoff's own restored 1933 Steinway was indeed a daring enterprising and rewarding venture for this artist. So, does an older piano really sound better? It is rather suprising just how different a modern concert grand from 1933 sounds from one of more recent vintage. Pletnev capitalizes upon the differences in his recital of works which Rachmaninoff himself played in recital but did not record. If not better sounding it certainly is a very interesting aural experience.

Compare this performance of the E flat-minor Etude-Tableaux with the new live performance and the criticism of under pedalling voiced by one reviewer makes sense; Pletnev is here playing in a smaller very dry acoutic--not Carnegie Hall. It is rather like
being in the Horowitz living room; there are some acoustic drawbacks. Nevertheless the artistic merits here and indeed the spirit of the surroundings--Rachmaninoff's piano in his own house-- prevails. Fans of this pianist and of the composer-pianist himself will not be disappointed.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent recital on a beautiful instrument, March 9, 2001

By 

Michael Whincop (GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, QLD AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hommage à Rachmaninov (Audio CD)

I listened to this recital back-to-back with Pletnev's live Carnegie Hall concert, as part of my reacquaintance with this pianist's art after a lengthy disenchantment with him. I am delighted to report how much I enjoyed this disk. The idea of the disk is novel, but in no sense a gimmick -- Rachmaninov's piano has a glorious sound, particularly in its middle registers, and the acoustic is perfect for these pieces. As a general comment, Pletnev's approach is big, bold, and colourful. He usually opts for broad tempi, in which he is most particular to bring out details and emphases neglected in other readings.

The Corelli Variations is not the finest piece Rachmaninov ever wrote, but in such an opulent, expansive interpretation it is pretty hard to resist. Pletnev sounds quite sensuous in caressing the lyrical themes, and displays his rich palette in the animato passages. The Beethoven is surprisingly chaste -- it certainly gleams with colour and bristles with virtuosity but there are no rhetorical gestures or pacing. The first movement is genuinely tinged with sadness without being mawkish, and the third movement is wonderfully alive and bouyant. The Mendelssohn pieces are played with charm and wit, and the Andante spianato is played with glorious lyricism -- I cannot think of another recording of this work in which the pianist demonstrates such wonderfully rounded legato. I confess I find the polonaise a bit too long for its own good, but Pletnev proves an able guide here, too. To close the disk, Pletnev returns to the piano's owner's music, giving us three op. 33 and one op. 39 etudes. Again, his pacing is quite broad -- he never drives these works too hard, conjuring an aura of Russian melancholy from their polyphonic textures. I compared with interest his performance of the famous op. 39/5 in this and the Carnegie Hall concert. I prefer this reading. It is in fact the quicker performance, most noticeably so in the earlier part of the work. Throughout his control and attention to detail are astonishing.

Highly recommended.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quintissential Pletnev., December 15, 2000

By 

Mireille Wastwater (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hommage à Rachmaninov (Audio CD)

Ah... Another CD by the man who tends to avoid using the pedal. Some people do this to make passages clearer (akin to showing us what the chips taste like without smearing them with ketchup). But Pletnev takes it a (few) step(s) further. He shows us what the chips taste like, but raw and straight out the freezer. He seems to do it to show us how he has the capacity to play pieces, hardly touching the pedal. As any pianist will know, once you start using the pedal, you can't live without it. But Pletnev needs no pedal - which is a testament to his immense technique, but if there's a pedal, why not use it. Anyway, this CD is the best I have heard of this artist. Like most russians, he has a huge pastel of colours at his disposal and he uses them most tastefully to colour the Corelli variation (esp.) To the rest of this substantial (for DG) recital he brings his characteristic fingeriness and unique blend of grittiness and concentration. He never plays the pieces 'normally.' There's always something to remark on, which is a good thing, considering the number of pianists out there who are unaware that thousands (millions?) of people have already played these pieces 'normally'. A disc worthy of the title.