Customer Reviews

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rachmaninoff's piano concerto number three has never attained the popularity of his more lush, second concerto, but it's his most monumental. It recieved proper reverence in the movie "Shine," as it is, at the apex of the piano repertoire.

While I own several, worthy recordings of this masterpiece, Argerich's version, with Chailly and the RIAS Symphony Orchestra Berlin, is my favorite. This is a no-holds-barred interpretation, with Martha rampaging through this monster like a woman possessed. She flexes her virtuosic muscles with Olympian authority, brutal speed, and the brashness of youth. This is no cold, pedagogical rendition, my friends; this is an emotionally charged, lustful orgy of notes! That's what romanticism is all about, isn't it? Just listen to the wild applause at the end, those people knew that they had witnessed magic!

The "live" aspect of this CD is a real plus, lending an air of occasion to the performance. "Live" recordings are difficult to engineer properly, but this effort is captured nicely, with a clear, "upfront," yet spacious sound. Great performances are much more pleasing when they're capably recorded.

Also on this disc is an excellent rendition of Tchaikovsky's (very popular) piano concerto number one, with Kondrashin. This performance is, likewise, well recorded. Argerich's blazing treatment of the final movement whips the audience into a thunderously jubilant appreciation for what they've just heard.

I mention audience reaction (twice) for good reason; listening to these efforts, I'm caught up in the passion of the moment in which they were recorded, and I feel as one with those lucky ticket-holders. You will too!

By far my favorite recording of Rachmaninoff's 3rd, Martha rips into it with such passion and strength, capturing our hearts with her rendition of this flamboyant and magnificent concerto, that displays a pianists virtuosity and allows for some wild showmanship. Those that became familiar with the piece from seeing the film "Shine", should hear this performance ! Martha, with her stunning technique, plays it to the max.

On this CD you get an extravagantly emotional double bill, with a fabulous Tchaikovsky 1st as well. A melodic celebration of romanticism, it's here played with dazzling gusto.

These are live performance recordings from 1982 (Rachmaninoff) and 1980 (Tchaikovsky) and must have been quite a treat to witness, as her public appearances have been few and far between. She is peerless, a genius in all her glory, and as Bryce Morrison writes in his liner notes, "Argerich defies even whispered comparisons".

To me you can not get a better recording of the Rach 3. Her technique is above and beyond Horowitz and the speed is frightening at times. However I have to admit that Martha Argerich is not for everyone. Some of you who like the older schools of music, the more specific and riggid schools of piano, probably want to find someone else playing. Martha has some very unique musical ideas and does not follow all the markings exactly. This is a GREAT recording though.

I am a big fan of Argerich who is undoubtedly one of the most talented of all pianists. This particular performance of the Rachmaninov 3rd has attracted an enormous amount of attention, and rightly so considering the pyrotechnics that Argerich generates; the pianism is truly remarkable and this is a remarkable performance.

This being said, however, I do not believe this is a performance that I will return to very often because it is a performance that `wows' me, but not one that I can lose myself in. While it is exciting, it is exciting in the way that seeing a animal being devoured by a preditor is exciting - an amazing spectacle and a great story to tell, but not a scene that you would necessarily wish to see too many times. (Please don't read too deeply into this statement; I'm not saying that `The concerto is like the animal, and Argerich is like the preditor, and she does to the concerto what a hungry lion does to a deer', and neither am I saying, `I will listen to this performance as many times as I would like to see an animal being run down by a car', or anything along these lines; I'm just trying to give a sense of the impact that this performance had on me).

Nevertheless, this recording is remarkable, and is a must for all fans of the Rachmaninov 3 and Martha Argerich.

These are very interesting recordings of two of the great Romantic piano concertos. They are both very fast recordings (though contrary to the editorial review, not as fast as Horowitz's seminal recordings with either Reiner or Barbirolli). Martha Argerich plays like a woman possessed which at times appears lacking in sensitivity or control. For instance, the chordal cadenza of the 1st movement of the Rachmaninoff sounds clumsy, and the flashy pianistic climax of the finale of the Tchaikovsky feels overly rushed. However, there are times, especially in the finale of the Rachmaninoff and the intermezzo of the Tchaikovsky, during which her style works wonderfully and shows unparalleled virtuosity. Overall the recordings are very satisfying, despite occasional mistakes and lapses in timing between the piano and orchestra. However, I have mentioned Vladimir Horowitz and I simply cannot recommend these recordings above his performances with Reiner (Rachmaninoff) and Toscanini (Tchaikovsky in the legendary War Bond concert). As an addition to those recordings though, this CD is a fine purchase.

Let me tell you that I was totally shocked when hearing this piece, the last movement in particular. It is an unhuman performance. The most unbelievable part is that it is a live recording. I have several different versions of Rach 3rd. This is definitely the fastest one I've ever had. This supreme speed brings about the extreme passion. I was wondering when I first listened to this CD: how could Argerich play in such a sonic speed while she could still fully express the sentiment that this concerto should deliver? But I heard that Rachmaninoff himself had version, which was faster than this one. I don't have this version.
If you call this Rach 3rd is the ultimate one, I dare say that the Tchaikovsky 1st is the worst.......be honest.. She played, in my opinion, too many wrong notes. Especially in the third movement, at the very beginning, she made several mistakes.

Whenever I listen to another recording of Rachmaninoff's concerto (and trust me, I've got plenty - Horowitz, about 3 copies of Ashkenazy...), I always wonder why the 3rd movement is so slow. It's because I've listened to my favorite of them all, this recording, so many times that it's spoiled me. Only Rachmaninoff himself plays the piece faster, and he tends to miss notes (the sound quality is also terrible).

The first movement's not the best I've ever heard (Horowitz's rendition is the best so far), but the 2nd and 3rd movements really shine. The Tchaikovsky is also very good. However, Argerich does play very fast (although her 3rd movement is slower than Rachmaninoff's own recording), so she does miss notes (especially in the 1st movement of the Tchaikovsky). Nonetheless, this is the best recording overall of the Rachmaninoff, and one of the best of the Tchaikovsky.

I love the Rach 3 (and 4) and I have essentially all of the major recordings. When the Hough complete set came out, I decided over a span of several weeks to listen to all the version I had. I will never give up my Horowitz/Coates, Horowitz/Barbirolli, or others including those by Janis, Kapell, Gutierrez, but I will always be partial to the Argerich because it was her performance that made me appreciate the work. I agree the Horowitz played it faster but Argerich rapport with Chailly with this work is incomparable. Her 1st movement cadenza is truly frightening. There is a rumor that Argerich never authorize this release and that she was actually upset when it was released. It's completely unedited. If you guys don't believe me, go to www.classicalvideorarities, buy this video on DVD and see. Yes, a video of this performance exists, and it is in excellent shape. It's a truly wonderful experience to see her play this work. The planets were aligning perfectly that night. A legendary performance!

Martha Argerich has been dubbed, appropriately, the "lioness" of the piano. These recordings defend her reign as the most bewildering technician and capricious romantic.

These two recordings are absolutely the most amazing ever made of the Rach 3 and Tch 1. I am a pianist, and have studied both these concertos; I can say from experience that the technical prowess and the romantic, psychotic, she-devil emotion with which Argerich plays these pieces is unparalelled.

With her astonishingly efficient technical approach to the keyboard, she is able to effect the most bewildering, roaring tidal waves of notes. Some criticize Argerich for playing things fast just to play them fast, but there is something special in her interpretation. Especially in these two recordings, she clings by a fingernail to her technical limitations, creating truly thrilling pianism and enhancing the extravagant romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.

There is just nothing--nothing at all--that could equal this recording. It will keep you glued to the edge of your seat for its entire duration. BUY IT or regret it for the rest of your life!

I don't have anything to add to the other (positive) reviews of the music contained on this disc. Even if it is not the best recording of the Rach 3 (I suspect it is) it is still an absolutely must-hear performance.

The only problem is that this disc uses copy protection. If you wish to rip this to your hard drive (for legal purposes, of course) you simply may not be able to. CD ripping software is prevented from accessing track information on the disc.

Good idea to prevent illegal piracy -- unfortunately it ruins it for any law-abiding consumer who just wants to listen to this on their iPod. Be warned!