I found it very difficult to listen to any other version than the LSO/Previn of the Rach 2 for many years. It totally bowled me over at first hearing (August 1977) and would still be my runaway first choice, the less than perfect sound notwithstanding and with everybody else fighting for second place. I was lucky to hear Previn and the LSO in a performance of the Rachmaninov 2nd in Manchester (November 3 1977) and even luckier to meet Mr Preview after the concert. Jack Brymer was the clarinettist on that occasion too.
My second choice would be Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw in full-blooded Decca sound. I have the BBC MM Downes recording but haven't heard it in years though memory tells me I found it too slow.
My second choice would be Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw in full-blooded Decca sound. I have the BBC MM Downes recording but haven't heard it in years though memory tells me I found it too slow.
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