Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Vocalise

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Jesús López-Cobos (Conductor), Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Jesús López-Cobos
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00005AQ2T
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,392 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I. Largo - Allegro Moderato

2. II. Allegro Molto

3. III. Adagio

4. IV. Allegro Vivace

5. Vocalise, No. 14

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Rachmaninoff's lush Symphony No. 2 qualifies as the archetypal Romantic symphony, full of opulent melodies and plush orchestral textures. López-Cobos and his Cincinnatians ease into the work--the slow, dark opening, with its subterranean basses and the climb up the tonal ladder to the brighter winds and strings, is played beautifully but without the inner tension or forward impetus it needs. The performance kicks into high gear for a driving Scherzo; the Adagio, with its gorgeous clarinet solo, is lovely; and the powerful finale climaxes the work in grand style. There are more fervent recordings than López-Cobos's, but none that bring out as much orchestral detail. The filler, the Vocalise, is a can't-miss delight. Ormandy, Temirkanov, and Previn's old EMI recording with the London Symphony may be preferable for the Symphony, but this one will give great pleasure. The disc is recorded at a low level, so you'll have to kick up the volume to get the most out of Telarc's stunning sonics. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably One of Telarc's Best Ever, April 24, 2001

By 

Trevor Gillespie "sol_man" (San Jose, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Vocalise (Audio CD)

The recording of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony on this CD could very well be one of the very best Telarc has ever made. The sound is so rich, so incredible, and close (which sometimes isn't the case with Telarc even though the sound quality is always consistently high). Rachmaninov wrote sections of thick strings that sound ultra lush. This recording captures all of the details from this wonderful symphony. In fact, there are details that are caught that I've never heard myself. Perhaps, this is because the recording is in sparkling new digital sound using Telarc's famed DSD technology. One note, the Amazon.com reviewer is correct. The recorded volume is low. You will have to turn up your stereo louder than most CD's but you will be pleasantly surprised at the wonderful sound that is produced.

Beyond the mere recorded sound of Rach's 2nd Symphony is a great performance. Lopez-Cobos is probably an unexpected source of a great interpretation of a Russian composer. Nevertheless, he delivers a stirring performance. Lopez-Cobos seems to have paid close attention to making sure the symphony flows well. In other performances, there is sometimes a choppiness especially in the shifting of melodic lines within the first movement. Not so in this performance. The orchestral playing is tight, lyrical, and flowing----BEAUTIFUL! One more note just because it was striking to me. The typani strokes in this are caught extremely well. If you know the symphony well, you will perhaps hear the tympani in places you've never heard before on record. So, try out this recording and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I have and am still enjoying.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid, Warm Rachmaninoff 2, October 18, 2001

By 

Thomas F. Bertonneau (Oswego, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Vocalise (Audio CD)

Read the chapter on Sergei Rachmaninov in the old two-volume Pelican survey of "The Symphony," edited by the late Robert Simpson, and you will find that, by the mid-1960s, the Russian's reputation had reached its nadir. Simpson, who himself wrote the chapter, calls the Second Symphony (1908) "diffuse" and refers to the composer's tendency to "take the easy way out." Simpson stints the Third (1936) even more than the Second, while reserving some praise for the (then) newly discovered First (1897). Perhaps the underestimation comes from Simpson's having been a totally different kind of composer from his subject; but Simpson's assessment might have been made by many another at that date. Of Rachmaninov's three symphonies, one heard only the Second in the concert hall, and then only in a performing edition with many cuts. On record, the situation differed but little. Things have changed a great deal in forty years. All three of Rachmaninov's symphonies have found their way back into the repertory and are especially well represented in the compact disc catalogues. The current critical consensus probably places them above the piano concertos in musical seriousness. New recordings appear all the time, and the Second, with the cuts restored, exists in many recorded editions. The new release from Telarc with Jésus López-Cobos leading the Cincinnati Symphony certainly takes its place in the front rank of "R2's." In sumptuous sound, it rivals Valéri Polyanksy's performance with the Russian State Orchestra on Chandos. (The Telarc recording is via one of those proliferating new processes -- whatever the explanation, it booms out magnificently from the speakers.) The Second's First Movement begins with an introduction that glowers darkly; it's Rachmaninov at his most melancholy. It then blossoms out into a gorgeous, insinuating theme that the composer develops leisurely but ingeniously. Many performances push the First Movement and press the climaxes for all that they're worth. López-Cobos holds back (as does Polyansky) so that greater weight can be placed on the three remaining movements. The Slow Movement glows; the Scherzo is wild, and so is the terrific Finale, which, at last, bears the full weight of the composition. The sound is wonderful, with plentiful detail and a spacious "stage." The "Vocalise" is likewise nicely done, coming across as more serious than it usually does. Marvelous. Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Fine Recording from Cinncinati, and Lopez-Cobos, April 25, 2001

By 

Alan Craig (Grand Junction,CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Vocalise (Audio CD)

This recording from Telarc featuring the Cinncinati Symphony

under Jesus Lopez-Cobos is one of the better perfomances of the

Rachmaninioff Symphony no. 2 that I have heard in a long while.

Maestro Lopez-Cobos lets the work breathe and unfold in a natural

manner, the music is never forced or rushed. The inner orchestral

sounds are allowed their time in the spotlight. While some will

say that this recording will not replace the ones by Ormandy,

Previn, or others, I say that it can be placed along side of them

and not have to feel like it is second best. It can hold its

head high with any other recording of these works.