Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Rhapsody on a Theme of of Paganini / Dohnanyi: Variations on a Nursery Theme

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I disagree with the previous reviewer when he says that Julius Katchen takes the first movement too fast. The passionate way in which he plays could make you think it is fast. And the orchestra is also up to the romantic task. As a bonus, the listener gets one of the top recordings ever, a jewel of the golden era of stereo by the great Kenneth Wilkinson, superbly reissued by Decca. The famous Earl Wild/Horenstein version on Chesky (another KW recording, by the way) is not as good either as a performance or as a recording.

Katchen takes the first movement too fast. On repeated listenings this isn't as bothersome, but I'd still prefer the allegro to be played a little slower. However, this minor failing can be forgiven when one hears the marvelous second movement! Actually after listening to the first movement, I was a little wary of what to expect. Would Katchen again take the express route, or would he slow everything down to a crawl to achieve some kind of temporal balance? Well, my misgivings turned out to be totally unwarranted. This Adagio is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful on record and beats out nearly all comers for tempo (exactly right in my opinion) and sheer beauty. There are a lot of alternatives of this popular work, but this performance ranks up there with the best.

I have heard various interpretations of this piece, but nothing compares to this one as interpreted by Sir Georg Solti and the perfect piano by Julius Katchen. I disgree with anyone who says that the first movement is to fast. When I first heard this piece, I can only compare it to getting a glimps of heaven. This is the most stirring and moving music I've ever heard. The images conjured up in the mind with a intense listening will bring you to tears. I am now on my second recording of this as my tape is now worn out. Even the great Andre Preven Doesnt compare with whats on this recording and he is one of my favorites. Sit back, relax turn it up and let it take you to heaven. All in all, a master piece.

This is one of the best performances of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto... i was looking for it for a while and got lucky!!!