Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Valery Gergiev (Conductor), Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra (Orchestra), Lang Lang (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Lang Lang
• Orchestra: Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
• Conductor: Valery Gergiev
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0006SSOOK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,947 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > Composers > Rachmaninov, Sergei
  • #35 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music
  • #39 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Piano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Controversial but valid interpretation, though recording technical misjudgment apparent., June 24, 2007

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody (Audio CD)

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.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What's the opposite of "mastering" a recording?, February 2, 2010

By 

William A. Francis "Professional horn player" (Logan, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody (Audio CD)

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.

25 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Over the top and self-indulgent, February 13, 2007

By 

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody (Audio CD)

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.