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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Stunning Performance,
By
This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
I, like many, have been listening to recordings of these concertos for a lifetime (40+ years). There are several that I love: the Van Cliburn (my first exposure to the 2nd), Richter, Janis, Argerich, and, most recently, Hough, have all had something significant to say about these works. Every once in awhile, though, someone breaks through the veneer and makes us reexamine what we think we know about the warhorses. Such is the achievment of Zimerman in this performance. I had a similar feeling about his Liszt sonata when it was released. The overall shaping of the movements and the range of jaw-dropping viruosity and tenderness will leave you speachless.
As we've seen from the reviews that preceed this one, there are some who feel that the piano is too much in the foreground, and to this is say, "thank god!" Ozawa or Zimerman or the engineers--or perhaps all three--understood that they needed to get out of Zimerman's way. This approach certainly doesn't work for other pianists, nor does it always work for the listener, but it does sometimes work for titans like Argerich, Richter and Zimerman. Look elsewhere for more balance between orchestra and piano. For sheer heart and hair-raising brilliance, though, you will not find a better recording. In fact, in my classical collection that includes thousands of recordings, I have put this on my top-ten list of greatest all-time performances by a pianist. Incidentally, Zimerman's recording of the Liszt sonata also makes the cut.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE Rach 1.,
This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
This was actually one of the first CDs I ever purchased of Krystian Zimerman. Along with his recordings of the Liszt sonata, Ravel concerti, and Debussy preludes, this is among my favorite of his. However, this is not because of his Rach 2!
I have never heard such a powerful or shimmering account of the Rach 1 concerto before. Admittedly, I have only heard/own a few recordings - Ashkenazy/Previn, Wild/Horenstein, Andsnes/Pappano, Lugansky/Oramo among them. My favorites were Rachmaninov/Ormandy and Pletnev/Pesek. However, I think that I would rank this Zimerman/Ozawa recording above these mentioned. The cadenza is played with utter brilliance, with much of the same refined splendor present in his recording of the Liszt sonata. For me, the highlight of the disc is near the end of the second movement. With wonderful accompaniment from Ozawa, Zimerman transports the listener into a truly romantic sound world. The third movement is played with the same fire as the first. I thought very highly of this concerto before hearing this recording, and surely this holds true after hearing Zimerman's traversal of it. The Rach 2 has it's strong points. For one, there is a great clarity in Zimerman's playing (combined, perhaps, with DG's recording decisions) - there are a number of passages that I, in hearing the concerto innumerably many times, had never heard before - the piano is truly the focus. For that reason, the recording may be of interest to a student of the piano. However, this can also turn one off - a more balanced recording between piano and orchestra may be desired. All in all, this is a great disc. Although you may be spoiled with all the options available for the Rach 2 (Richter spoiled me), the Rach 1 doesn't have as many champions and Zimerman, with great aid from Ozawa, makes the case for his to be a definitive recording.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Zimerman's Rachmaninoff Concertos a mixed bag...",
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)
Few will deny that Krystian Zimerman is one of the truly great pianists of this age. His playing is distinguished by his flawless and brilliant technique and a sensitivity that is indeed rare among contemporary artists. I purchased his Rachmaninoff Concertos 1 and 2 with great expectations of the revelations this complete pianist would extract from these chestnuts. With both works on a single disk, this collaboration with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony is a bargain. However, musically, it is a mixed bag.
The Concerto No. 1 is as technically brilliant and sparkling as any on record,. Yet, it bears the stamp of individuality expected from Zimerman in the sensitive and poetic rendering of the slow movement. Despite the freedom he brings to this movement, it coheres and convincingly envokes memories of Rachmaninoff's recording of the work. The Concerto No. 2, the most frequently performed of Rachmaninoff's Concertos, is sadly disappointing. Here, Zimerman's desire to be expressive leads him astray. In his hands, this expansive work, with many contrasting tempos abd noods, needs not to be further stretched, but rather to be given cohesion. It falls apart and loses its sense of unity and direction because of his tendency to stop and go, and to make short motives of Rachmaninoff's long soaring melodies. Surprisingly, there are times when the material in the piano should be subordinate to the material in the orchestra but is not. Ozawa follows dutifully, but Rachmaninoff is the loser. Still, for those building a Zimerman discography, it provides both the good and the bad side of this artist and illustrates how a inappropriate use of expression can become an affectation.
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