Customer Reviews

Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

5 star:		(1)
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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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).

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.

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...!