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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Musical fusion in Rachmaninov & Tchaikovsky's concertos, November 29, 2005
This review is from: Mikhail Rudy Plays Rachmaninov & Tchaikovsky (Box Set) (Audio CD)
"A composer's music should express the country of his birth, his love affairs, his religion, the books that have influenced him, the pictures he loves. It should be the sum total of a composer's experience."- Sergei Rachmaninov
These words are essentially a statement of the core philosophy of romanticism. What is odd is that they were spoken in the 1920's, long after the romantic period is held to have ended. Rachmaninov's four concertos for piano and orchestra are works of the twentieth century (with the exception of the first concerto, which was begun in 1890), but at their core they are deeply romantic works that reflect the soul of the composer. Occasionally flawed and sometimes gaudy, they are nevertheless brilliant and deeply soulful pianistic masterpieces.
The concerto is, to me, perhaps the greatest form of music as art: combining the intimate, personal aspects of solo and chamber music with the grandiosity of the symphony orchestra. With all the power and large-scale intricacy of the fifty-odd orchestral musicians playing together, the soloist is still free to bare his soul and express his innermost personal thoughts through the music. To achieve this perfect synthesis of soloist and orchestra requires a talented soloist and an equally talented conductor, and this recording of the Rachmaninov concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody realizes that union with Mikhaïl Rudy and Mariss Jansons. Together they express the core of Rachmaninov's music, combining easy virtuosity and poetic genius for a deeply satisfying musical experience. The St. Petersburg Philharmonic shows that they are worthy of being counted among Europe's best orchestras, and EMI's recorded sound is very good, although in some places perhaps the balance should favor the piano more.
Also included in this bargain-priced three-disc set, almost like a bonus, is the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky. Favoring a fresh, spontaneous interpretation over sheer heavy-handed virtuosity, Rudy and Janson's account of Tchaikovsky's popular work, filled with beautiful folk melodies, bears some very refreshing results. The soaring, lyrical first movement is full of new life and vivacity; while the tender slow movement, labeled "semplice," is wonderfully gentle, with the "prestissimo" middle section glittering like shooting stars over St. Petersburg at night. The third movement, Allegro con fuoco ("with fire"), based on a Ukrainian folk melody, is lively and intense. Here, the Leningrad Philharmonic also gets a chance to shine, with the orchestra often going long periods carrying the melody, while the piano accompanies: all part of the essential blend between soloist and orchestra that is the concerto.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Rachmaninoff, you'll love this, February 2, 2001
This review is from: Mikhail Rudy Plays Rachmaninov & Tchaikovsky (Box Set) (Audio CD)
There is no question that Mikhail Rudy is the best interpreter of the Rachmaninoff concertos I've heard (and I've heard a lot of them). I never knew he existed before I acquired this 3-CD set, but I'm stunned by the loving way he treats the music. It sounds as though he hits every single note (a rarity, especially in the #3), and he caresses each one to boot. The accompaniment by Maris Jansons is excellent -- intense and clear. And to top it all off, you can get the 3 CDs for $20. If you like Rachmaninoff, you'll love this.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Contender for the top recordings of these pieces ..., March 12, 2006
This review is from: Mikhail Rudy Plays Rachmaninov & Tchaikovsky (Box Set) (Audio CD)
From what I have gathered, there are quite a few (but at the same time, not TOO many) recorded performances of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto's that have been asigned as belonging to the top almost matter-of-factly. I personally, I am sorry to say, am quite restricted in my knowledge and could only compare these recordings by Mikhail Rudy and Mariss Jansons with the only other fine recordings I have heard (up to now), namely those by Earl Wild/Jasha Horenstein and those by Howard Shelley/Bryden Thomson. Compared to those two, the difference between Rudy/Jansons and Wild/Horenstein is, to my amateur ears, the greatest, so for convenience (and briefness) sake I would like to focus on the differences between those two.
The playing of Mikhail Rudy to my ears has a very matter-of-fact-like virtuosity and clarity to it that make this all rather dry-eyed performances, which in itself is a good thing. This supreme clarity is matched by the virtuoso orchestral playing, where all of the instrumental textures are all clearly audible (sometimes not ideally blended woodwinds stick out of the texture somewhat). What I miss sometimes, though, is a kind of 'soaring melodicity' (which we get from earl Wild, for example). These are to my mind rather austere performances that miss a certain lyricism and/or warmth and while the ensemble-playing between orchestra and piano is perfect (often, the piano blends in completely within the orchestral texture), there is maybe too much focus on just that, causing them to sound somewhat cool as a result. Nonetheless, these ARE masterly performances which certainly suit a certain taste and mood, and they are a nice addition to (and something of a contrast with) other fine, maybe more 'warmly' recommended, recordings of these wonderful works. Anyhow, I am glad to have these freshly analytical, highly focussed performances alongside those by Earl Wild and Howard Shelley. It only shows how nuances in interpretation and style can make a world of difference (this is of course, one of the things that makes listening to different performances of the same works by different great artists such a rewarding experience), each one of those worlds fitting a certain taste and mood.
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