Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 [Import]

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Leopold Stokowski (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra), Sergey Rachmaninov (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Orchestra: Philadelphia Orchestra
• Conductor: Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Audio CD (October 26, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B000026B8F
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,752 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Moderato - Allegro

2. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto

3. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Allegro scherzando

4. Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Allegro ma non tanto

5. Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Intermezzo: Adagio

6. Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor, Op. 30: Finale: Alla breve

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL Rachmaninov, August 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (Audio CD)

Who says Rachmaninov's music is shallow and too sentimental? Blasphemy!! Maybe some over-indulgent performances by naive pianists give that impression, but on this recording, with the composer himself at the keyboard (and he was one of the greatest of all pianists) there isn't the faintest suggestion of sappyness anywhere. Sure, there's passion in his "interpretation" (if you can call it that) but he lets his passion flow through the music, not overwhelm it.

Of course, the audiophile types who love glitz and glitter won't be pleased by the prehistoric recordings, but I say, great musicianship over great technology!! Don't miss out on this just because of the sound quality. It's a five-star performance if I ever heard one.

I'd suggest getting, along with this, the companion disc, featuring the (undeservedly) less well known 1st and 4th concertos and the Paganini rhapsody

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime!, September 17, 2001

By 

Warren R. Davis (Haddonfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (Audio CD)

There is no better recording of the No. 2 concerto. Stokowski and the Philadelphia players are inspired; and the beauty, dynamic range (even on this vintage recording), and technical command of the composer's handiwork are unapproachably sublime. This is one of the great recordings of all time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Russian Winter Moods, December 2, 2007

By 

Joe Anthony "Joe Anthony" (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (Audio CD)

During winter, we here in New England, sometimes get a taste of Russian weather (cold and snow). It is at hese times when I think it is most appropriate to pull out my collection of Russian music: mainly Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Liadov and Shostakovich. Rachmaninoff's Second and Third Piano Concertos are most appropriate for bringing forth a good, brooding, Russian winter mood.

Though the Second Concerto is the most popular (even finding its way into American movie sound tracks and popular songs); I always liked the Third one better: I find it to be more mysterious and darker in emotional quality. In Rachmaninoff, as in Tchaikovsky, you seem to get the over-arching feel of the suffering of the Russian people.

I bought this CD specifically to hear Rachmaninoff himself at the piano. Though these recordings are very old and of poor quality by today's standards, Rachmaninoff's aura was such that, while listening, I eventually forgot about the "tinny" filter and the background noise. Rachmaninoff sounded just as I expected: grand, brooding, severe, sometimes glimmering, but more a craftsman than a Romantic.

Comparisons for Concerto #2: Askanazy/Kondrashin/Moscow Phil.; Graffman/Bernstein/NYPO; Richter/Warsaw Phil Orch

Comparisons for Concerto #3: Horowitz/Ormandy/NYPO; Horowitz/Reiner/RCA Orch.