Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Idil Biret (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Idil Biret
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Audio CD (August 25, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00000AEM1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,415 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Recommendable for the budget conscious, November 17, 2000

By 

Michael Whincop (GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, QLD AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Although I found Biret's Rachmaninov Etudes seriously disappointing, I have heard enough good performances by her to listen willingly to these two sonatas. The disk certainly has the advantage of a logical -- but quite unusual -- coupling, with the added advantage of cost and good sound. The First is quite a good performance. As ever, Biret is scrupulous in making every note absolutely clear, her sound is attractive, and there is none of the choppiness that characterises the Etudes. But, in the finale, and in much of the Second, I feel a need for more thrust. In the lyrical passages, Biret winds down. Rachmaninov really doesn't need wallowing, and in the Second Sonata, the fierce excitment of the work is lost beyond a certain tempo. For a sharp comparison compare the last few minutes of Biret with Horowitz's CBS recording.

So, budget-conscious consumers may find this a good deal -- a reasonable first and a tolerable second in the superior 1913 version. Those willing to splash out are urged to Fiorentino's all-surpassing First and Cliburn's famous Second (or Kempf if DDD is essential).

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachmaninoff Piano Sonatas, August 3, 2010

By 

James C. Thorsby "jthor" (Cathedral City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

This is one of the few CD's that features Rachmaninoff's 1st Piano Sonata. It is paired with #2 which is the workhorse of the pianists of this era. I would recommend this to all Rachmaninoff affectionattos.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than average, April 20, 2009

By 

music fan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Unfortunately this Sonata is rarely performed, and when it is performed, it is performed with some weird taste. This is the example. Who ever said that Rachmaninoff should be "pregnant" (in Mustonen's case, where every measure has swellings), or that it should sound like Scarlatti? Did you know that Russian phrasing comes from our endless horizons? Thats where the long line is appropriate :) But I didn't hear it in neither recording that I heard.... Too sad, because the music is incredible...!