Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3

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One of the aspects that appeals to this listener about Nikolai Lugansky's approach to the perennial favorite piano concerti of Sergei Rachmaninov is the commitment to the organic feeling of each work. So often these concerti are served up as early career, flamboyant exercises to introduce the young pianist du jour to already accepting audiences. And at times the imprint on the works imposed by the various pianists is what remains in the hall after the performance, not Rachmaninov.

Nikolai Lugansky takes more of the academic approach (not unlike the conducting of Boulez and Salonen among others) to restudy the tired works and hence rediscover the inherent magic. As demonstrated on this fine recording with Sakari Oramo and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Lugansky seems as familiar with the orchestral scoring as he is pliant with the piano role. The result is intelligent phrasing, knowing when to hold back and when to thunder forth. In both the lesser-known 1st and the infamous 3rd Lugansky finds the brains and the brawn and the lyricism that is meltingly beautiful. And what an unexpected pleasure to find a pianist paired with the same orchestra for the cycle of four concerti! A superb recording to add to the newer recording of the 2nd and 4th! Grady Harp, September 05

These are insightful, wonderful performances of Rachmaninov's concertos and the Paganini Variations by a very talented young Russian virtuoso who shows off a technique so facile as to be disarming -- even disturbing. (Aren't these supposed to be hard to play?) I disagree with Mr. Grabowsky here. The performances are not forgettable or played in a robotic fashion, a harsh remark. The Third and the others indeed sound as if they are being played too easily, which may account for the assessment that Lugansky is uninvolved in what he is doing. ("Clean fingering" doesn't do justice to what's shown here.) And I must admit that I, too, was a bit put off by his Third at first, which ought to be a terrible stuggle for anyone to play, but doesn't seem that way as Lugansky plays it. I had the same impression to a lesser degree about the First (an undeservedly neglected masterwork of Rachmaninov's youth, revised, as I recall, later -- but I am not going to look that up for this purpose), where the insane element of the credenza in the first movement seemed to fall short to me. A second and third listening to both persuaded me otherwise in both cases. This performance of the Third does not compare to Argerich's or the old Horowitz performance either, though I have not listened to that for a long time, but it is well thought out and the playing carefully reveals all of the intricate material that Rachmnaninov created here, delivered very much in the manner of the master himself in his own performances with Ormandy. To say that these performances are like Rachmaninov's own, which they are, can hardly be taken seriously as criticism. I will have to relisten to the latter to see if I agree about the "intensity" and "personality" comment, but I do not recall them that way. Lugansky's Third may be the weakest of his performances of all of these marvelous works, but it will stay with me and be revisited fondly. Listen to the whole set and more than once before dismissing this effort. If I could find a better complete set recorded with modern technique, I would acquire it. I'll keep searching and hoping (Martha could do it, but won't), as I have for decades.

Nick Lugansky takes on one of Rachmaninoff's best-known concerti along with one few people have heard.

Both times the results are the same: bland and anonymous. You won't listen to these recordings for a few moments and say "Ah, that's Lugansky!" Amazon's No. 2 sham reviewer, Grady Harp, gushes that Luggie is so familiar with the score he knows where to hold back and where to burst forth. I'd like to ask him where Luganksy bursts forth. The temperature never rises above "medium-cool." Yes, it's nice to have Rachmannioff concerti where the pianist isn't tossing his hair about and sweating on the keyboard, but the composer's own performance does this and has far more personality and intensity. The big build in the development section of the 3rd's first movement (about half-way through)sounds like an exercise. I hear no expressive features--no rubato, no color, no dynamics, no shading, just admittedly clean fingering, but there's more to the Rach 3rd than that. Luganksy handles the sad second lyrical theme nicely enough, but that's about it. Tempi are on the slow side throughout; I don't mind a broad Rach 3--Argerich's way isn't the only way--but there also has to be tension. Here, every time there's a long sigh, it doesn't feel like we're coming down from anything and so it feels obligatory rather than earned. Similarly, while Lugi'e sound is clean, I miss the bell-like cantabile of others in this music. In fact, Rachy said the opening choral statement by the piano was supposed to be bell-like, I believe. It's a special kind of lyricism that Russian pianists are famous for, but it's not very present here.

The City of Burmingham SO generally sounds sedate and anonymous. Gone is their disctintive sound and crisp bite and coiled energy from their Rattle days. I don't know anything about conductor Sakari Oramo, but if this is an indication of how he conducts, he's a robot. There's no push-pull between conductor and soloist, a la Toscanini and Horowitz, or Chailly and Argerich, or Coates and Horowitz.

On the first concerto they sound fresher, possibly because this piece hasn't been done to death. Still, I'll once again opt for Rachmaninoff's own recorded performance with Ormandy. In a catalog crammed full of competitive Rachmaninoff piano concertos, this disc is basically forgettable.