Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

My only complaint here is that the orchestra is kept too far in the background. This is a piano-forward aural picture, as though the listener were seated immediately in front of the open lid of Zimerman's grand, with much of the sound of the Boston Symphony going past you, out into the hall. I have a recording of the old Boston Symphony playing the 3rd Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto with Byron Janis and Erich Leinsdorf; listening to Zimerman and Ozawa here, I longed for that aural picture of Janis and Leinsdorf, capturing as it does a realistic balance between piano and orchestra and the whole sound of the Boston hall.

But other than that, this is a really satisfying disc. I think it stands alongside the very best of Ozawa's recordings with the Boston Symphony: with his Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet, 5th and 7th Mahler symphonies, Berlioz Requiem, and Franck D minor Symphony. Zimerman's playing is electrifying. I'm indifferent to his recent Brahms 1st Piano Concerto with the Berliners, but this album is right on the money where the soloist is concerned, and if one could ask to hear more of the orchestra, nevertheless one hears enough to be impressed at the dialog between them and the soloist.

I don't use the word "incredible" unless something truly stretches the boundaries of credibility. This performance does just that. Rachmaninov's second piano concerto has become a warhorse of the classical music repertoire, and with so many great performances over the years it is hard for one to stand out in the crowd, but from the opening bars of this performance one's jaw almost drops to the floor. Zimerman not only gets the notes right, he does it with all of the flair that Rachmaninov himself would have certainly desired. His playing is nuanced and his technique nothing short of amazing.

But not to give all of the kudos to Zimerman. The Boston Symphony Orchestra hasn't sounded this good since Charles Munch was the music director. The musicians are up to the task of the score, Ozawa demonstrates complete mastery of the music, and the partnership between the soloist and the orchestra is impeccable.

And let's not overlook the First Concerto here. This is one of those magnificent pieces that is so overshadowed by Rachmaninov's Second and Third concerti that one "discovers" only late in life what an outstanding work it is: Exciting and dramatic in the classic Russian style. And, of course, Zimerman and the BSO totally convince you that even if this were the only concerto Rachmaninov had written, he would still be hailed as a great composer.

I was a music major in college, and although I've not pursued a music career I've been an aficianado for all of the last forty-five years. If you could only take one recording of this work to your desert island this is the one, and I'm not so sure that this would not be the one to take if you could take only one recording of any piano concerto.

Under Zimerman's hands, the piano seems to have limitless possibilities. His playing can jump from bird-song whispering to a violent storm in the same breath. Truly breathtaking.
Many readers complain about the recessed orchestra sound in the 2nd concerto and I agree. But Ozawa's interpretation leans toward being sensitve and fragile. If you want the orchestra as an equal, powerful partner, try Previn (for Ashkenazy) or Reiner (for Cliburn).
BTW, Zimerman is coming to my town and I am going to hear him!

At 80 years old, I've heard one hell of a lot of Rachmaninov both live and recorded. The Zimerman CD with Ozawa was a revelation - nuanced, passionate and technically superb. I recommend it without reservation.

Zimerman is obviously one of the greatest musical artists of this time, but he is also one of the most openly modern and intellectual of pianists. Whether or not you like his clear, self-conscious style, is of course a matter of personality and taste. His playing is always interesting and of the highest quality, but personally I often find that something is missing. His Mozart didn't have the "fun", his Ravel not the lonely-child feeling, his Debussy not the cat-like soft elegance, his Chopin not the nostalgia, and I havn't even mentioned his Brahms... This and that. I was very surprised then, to hear how well he plays Rachmaninov and what his style can do with that music. He has a very clear and light approach to both concertos. This makes wonders with the first concerto. But even the second gains from his treatment. In the CD booklet he says he wants to play the music as someone in love for the first time, and not look for control. Of course he has perfect control all the time, but he makes a "picture" of emotion which I find genuinly moving. To me it seems a contradiction to find this intellectual musician perfectly at home, for the first time, with Rachmaninov. Or perhaps not? Anyway, he makes these works sing and breathe much easier than they usually do - a great relief. Recommended for Zimerman admirers and for all who could like a light, singing Rachmaninov.

Great technique, heartfelt interpretation. Overall both performances are breathtaking--and I've heard several others (Hough, Ashkenazy, Istomin, Janis, etc.). This is as good as it gets.

I own about every peformance of the Rachmaninoff concertos currently available in the catalogue. This rendition misses the emotional heart of both concertos.....but I like it nonetheless and the reason is because every note is so cleanly artilculated that you hear things that you will not hear in any other recording. That being said, my favorite for the first concerto is Earl Wild with Horenstein...completely electrifying. My favorite 2nd concerto is Gary Graffman with Bernstein. This is a worthy addition to the library and I heartily recommend it.