Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

What prompted me to get this CD issued more than 2 years ago?
Not Lang Lang, not Valery Gergiev. Not even Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is the adverse comments by many reviewers, some at nonsensical level, that prompted me to listen to this recording.
Granted, this is nothing like the classic recording of Ashkenazy with the London Philharmonic under Previn, nor Richter's. My most familiar version being this classic version of the 1970's, nothing would have been able to convince me that a diversified interpretation could actually surpass the classic one that I have grown used to.
Despite this preoccupation, however, Lang Lang and Gergiev (and more particularly Gergiev in this recording), managed to bring forth a more lyrical and almost elegant rendition of a piece like the No. 2 Concerto that was hitherto interpreted mostly as a heroic and solemn piece.
The orchestra and the soloist worked well together, whether you like their rendition or not (like Dan Davies of Amazon, who dislikes it). The musical lines are longer, the rhythm generally slower than Ashkenazy's. Musicality abound, even though you may claim that Lang Lang's playing in the slower movements borders on dreamy almost to the point of falling off.
The only issue that may be mentioned of this recording is the sound. Dan Davies alludes this to the performers. I can only agree in part, since apparently at least, someone in DG must have decided to move the mics closer to the pianoforte during the live recording at the Martti Talvela Hall. The result is grossly inadequate orchestral backing for the solo parts. This has the unfortunate result of distorting the music. Listen to the first movement, from 8:00 onwards. The solo parts are completely shorn of the tutti backing, some thing that isn't on the score, to say the least. It would be going a bit too far to blame the performers, let alone the soloist. Lang Lang played the entire first movement in grand style, clearly sensitive to the diverse hue of the movement and paying close attention to the rhythms and dynamics (the first movement is NEVER slow, the 2nd and the 3rd only slightly so in comparison). The inbalance does appear to be the result of a technical misjudgment.
If Rachmaninoff could play his Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini in a way that did not follow his own markings, does it imply that Lang Lang could do the same? This lad is a bit on the presumptuous side to deem that he is similarly allowed to do so. So even if he manages to come up with a more than decent rendition of the pieces, he got ALL the adverse comments that there are for him. And he shoulders them alright. I am NOT convinced that only Rachmaninoff would be the one allowed to deviate from his own scriptual markings.

Please, save yourself the frustration. Buy a different recording of the Rhapsody. Each variation in this one is introduced by the music fading-out then fading back in again. Who would think to do such a thing? For me this trumps all positives (and negatives) of the performance.

For all of the hype he has received, Lang Lang has (at best) a spotty track record when it comes to recorded performances. Perhaps he is a more compelling performer in a live concert setting, but we provincials wouldn't know about that & are forced to rely on the recorded medium. It appears that Lang Lang is beginning to believe the hyperbole of his own press & has decided to abandon any pretence of having depth & nuance. All we have here is self-indulgence & caricature.

Gergiev, who seems to be gravitating towards more extreme tempi & dynamics every time I hear newer recordings of his, does nothing to rein in Lang Lang and simply allows him to run amok. The result is a ridiculous & unlistenable recording. Don't buy into the hype --- this sucks.

There is no doubt that Lang Lang can play the piano, but he
is not the thoughtful, mature pianist that we would expect
from someone being touted by DG records as being the "next
great pianist". If he plays the violin, he'd be more apt
to be called a 'fiddler' than a 'violinist'. The best recording
of these works (Rachmanninoff's 2nd piano concerto and
the Paganini Rhapsody variations) is that of Cecile Licad
on CBS Masterworks. Licad's reading is most emotionally
intense yet highly intellectual, her playing virtuosic yet highly
controlled. Too bad, Licad does not record that much; she
probably dislikes the limelight like other great musicians.
In contrast Lang Lang obviously loves to bask in the limelight.

I regret that there is so much controversy over Lang Lang's performances. I for one am glad that various artists present their personal interpretations of various works. If every performer played exactly the same and rigidly followed every note, marking, and tempo of each written score with no personal expression I would find musical performances not only boring but also, in many cases, unsatisfying. For example, I prefer some pieces of music played more slowly and lyrically than written while I prefer more robust interpretations of other music. Variety of interpretation allows me and other listeners to find one or more performances of a given piece of music which satisfy our individual tastes even though others may find the same performances unsatisfactory or even objectionable.

The works on this CD are particular favorites of mine and I find Lang Lang's performances to be quite satisfactory. However, neither of these performances satisfies me completely. For my taste the finest performance of the Rachmaninov 2nd Piano Concerto is that by Alexis Weissenberg, a performance which is even more individualistic than Lang Lang's. My favorite performance of the Paganini Rhapsody is by Tamas Vasary and, unfortunately, is currently unavailable on CD.

Each listener has his or her own taste. I find Lang Lang's performances on this CD to be quite interesting and believe that they will please many listeners.

This is a most curious and frustrating disc, especially for Lang Lang and Gergiev fans. Lang Lang begins with the chords that begin Rach 2 with a very slow trudge - taking after Richter on his classic DGG recording? The orchestra is fine at their entrance, but things begin to unravel. So much episodic feeling to things give away the lie of any notion that this may have been an unedited live recording - before the past 25 years, always the meaning of the phrase 'live recording.' On first hearing, it even sounds as though Lang Lang is helping to keep things together. On rehearing it, Lang Lang's lack of any musically imaginative response to the music, as opposed to plugging in so many tired formulae, gets wearisome quickly, though he gets over the notes and rises to the climax of the movement well. Much of the slow movement goes well, barring a little too much backphrasing, that already has gotten well underway in the first movement, too much of a stall at the end of a long trill already, and lack of legato in the chords that end the movement. Gergiev begins the third movement sluggishly and with lack of march impetus. One accelerando by Lang Lang seems more than with which the orchestra can stay together.

I had the local NPR affiliate play Kissin and Gergiev, a 1988 (?) recording, before anyone over here in the West even knew who Gergiev was. The orchestra is the London Symphony, which does not always play together either, but here they are in very close to top shape, and any pointing of detail seems headed somewhere, since the legato line is never broken, except where indicated or clearly indicated. Kissin plays beautifully at the age of 17(?).

The Paganini Rhapsody even, two thirds of the way through, goes less well. If so much of this disc gives a new twist on how to phrase this music, either work on this disc, have we not heard the accent placed on the wrong note (the second note of the phrase instead of leaning into the D-Flat), breaking the line, in the 18th variation - and the worst offender here is Valery Gergiev. The orchestral playing is nuance heavy, fine on the lighter variations, but indicative that the orchestra can not play together otherwise or is under-rehearsed. The passage of seventh through tenth variations turns into a struggle - and not in the sense that raises musical tension. The ninth variation, of broken and off-beat triplets is overaccented, for sake of keeping things together, throwing off a truly effective rhythmic way of playing this passage, as the music demands. Sure, it is difficult, but one expects more from people coming onto the Yellow Label to record this music, after what predecessors there have been (Pletnev/Abbado at least an equally inept exception to the rule).

Lang Lang's tendency to put little dovetails and effete endings to so many phrases does indeed recall Liberace (as does especially the D-Flat Nocturne on the Carnegie Hall disc). It also intrudes onto the spirit of the music. The 'doing the riff' on the fifteenth variation, so old, shopworn by now, shows similar musical and artistic immaturity, as do several little backphrasings from Gergiev to abet other silliness from the soloist here.

Not the worst possible recordings of these two works, even the Rhapsody, but certainly not recommended above eight to ten other versions of each of these pieces either. The Ashkenazy/Haitink and Kocsis/De Waart sets are very positive recommendations, even though Paganini Rhapsody is the weak link in the former series (not in a two disc set of the four concerti) and PC 2 the same for the latter - both still preferable to this. Tamas Vasary plays his set very well, if a bit inflexibly accompanied at times, on DGG. The classic Richter (DGG) and Rubinstein/Ormandy are worthy considerations for PC 2. Rubinstein and Reiner did not perform together well, but up next to the new release, you'd never guess it, on both works. In mono, the Moisewitsch of PC's 1 and 2 and Rhapsody on Naxos is ideal, and the price is right. Sound quality is fine for the period (if a bit dated). Margrit Weber and Fricsay, for the Rhapsody offers great orchestral playing, the best I have heard yet for the piece, and supportive pianism, if not commanding in this situation, but it is, after all, as Rachmaninov composed it (and as forgotten somewhat by Lang and Gergiev), an orchestral work. Even Cliburn/Reiner (on PC 2 at least), and I am no Cliburn fan, is preferable to what is heard on the new disc. There are certainly good versions of each I am forgetting to mention here, including the classic RCA recordings by the composer. Space allows me only so much. :-)

I bought this because of the negative reviews here. They were enraged--that means their emotions were engaged, I thought. They complained that Lang Lang didn't sound like Askenazy--good, I thought, who wants a me-too performance. None of them used the worst criticism of all: boring.

Well, I failed in my interpretation of the negative reviews. Lang Lang turned in the worst performance of the Paganini Rhapsody I have ever heard. The whole thing simply screams, "Hey, lookit me, I'm playing the pianna!". If Paris Hilton had pianistic abilities, I would imagine she'd make a recording exactly like this. It all falls to pieces long before the famous 18th variation, and unlike other mediocre performances, does not come back together for the (normally) exciting final variations. I was not enraged. I did not compare him to other pianists. I was just very bored.

The concerto performance doesn't fall to pieces, it starts out in pieces and never comes together. Even Lang Lang sounds bored, except for the parts where he gets to bang really hard on the piano.

My gold standard for the Paganini Rhapsody is the old Soviet recording by Zak and Kondrashin, available in very bad sound on a CD--but very good sound can be coaxed out of the old Monitor LP of the same recording (Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Khachaturian: Piano Concerto; Zak, Kondrashin, Oborin, Khachaturian). Even though it is rare, it is worth getting. Neither quality applies to Lang Lang's CD.

OK so the tempos are a bit weird but on the plus side there's some attractive poetic insights that grab the attention. It's a pity he languishes so much trying to squeeze every last drop out of the score (reminding me of Karajan) because technically Lang Lang is meticulous and conjures up some nice touches that have eluded other pianists. It's almost as if he's dropping off with a sleeping pill and is not sure where to go next and then suddenly he wakes up, as at the coda to the concerto which is marvellous. His introspection however is a nice antidote to some of the sweeping bravura performances one hears that often miss detail, he just overdoes it somewhat.

The recording quality is first-rate and I found the balance between soloist and orchestra to be very good. I was frustrated by Zimerman's majestic performance of No.2 (like Lang's, also on DG) because the piano drowns out Ozawa's orchestra, while Andsnes' fine live performance on EMI, quite well balanced, is somewhat contained, lacking bloom. And the rapturous applause is something to get sick of (as it is on his No.3 for EMI). I still love the Earl Wild / Horenstein set from 1965, originally on RCA. Big warm sound with dynamic playing, still holds its own against any modern recording.

Ok, it's a piano concert. Does it mean that the piano has to sound louder than the orchestra? Hardly. Lang Lang is undoubtedly technically gifted, the first movement is quite enjoyable and so is the second. Then, in the third movement, we land nowhere. I am no music expert, I just enjoy to listen; this last part, played, for instance, by Ashkenazy, always gives me a sense of existential relief; something that young Lang Lang fails, in my opinion, to deliver. This is too bad, because the concert is well played; maybe try again in 10 or 15 years?

Listen to Lang Lang and then listen to the great Artur Rubinstein playing the same pieces with the Chicago Symphony conducted by Fritz Reiner. Listening to Rubinstein's transcendent playing one is deeply moved, while when listening to Lang Lang one hears the pianist playing mere notes however competently. In the Rubinstein recording the pianist and orchestra dance together, in the Lang Lang recording they may as well have been playing at different times in different places. Hard to believe Lang Lang is a star after listening to this.