Rachmaninov Piano Concerto recordings

[Barbirollians]

I see that internet sensation Valentina Lisitsa has recorded the concertos in a fancy new Decca box but reviews appear to be mixed .

What are your favourite performances ? There are for me some classics Pletnev in No 1 Richter in 2 Argerich in 3 and Michelangeli in 4 but I am listening this morning to a record that came out many years after it was recorded and contains to my ears two terrific performances - Zimerman in Nos 1 and 2 - the No 2 in particular is thrillingly fresh and exciting . Like an old master cleaned !

[Mr Pee]

I'm rather keen on Lief Ove Andsnes fairly recent recordings, both with Pappano conducting, nos. 3 and 4 with the LSO, and the other disc of the first two with the BPO. Among newer versions I think these are extremely good.

[Parry1912]

I'm rather keen on Lief Ove Andsnes fairly recent recordings, both with Pappano conducting ... and the other disc of the first two with the BPO. Among newer versions I think these are extremely good.

Agreed. Although the idiot who shouts 'Bravo' almost before the final chord has died away (in No. 2) is annoying.

I'm also very partial to Jean-Yves Thibaudet's recordings with Vladimir Ashkenazy. Of course, Ashkenazy's own recordings with Andre Previn are excellent. As are Earl Wild's with Jascha Horenstein (now available in the Brilliant Classics excellent 'Rachmaninov Edition')

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Richter's Warsaw recording takes some beating.

[DracoM]

Hough/LItton?

[Parry1912]

Hough/LItton?

I know that many people have raved over these performances but I wasn't that keen. Too much brilliance at the expense of poetry, IMHO.

[Mr Pee]

I know that many people have raved over these performances but I wasn't that keen. Too much brilliance at the expense of poetry, IMHO.

I'm with you on that.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Not my favourite works at all - until I listen to the composer's own performances with the fabulous Philidelphians and Ormandy/Stokowski.

[jayne lee wilson]

Don't really buy lots, but the Earl Wild/Horenstein/RPO set seems pretty good to me, at least they do in in the outstanding Chesky transfers. Brilliant Paganini Rhapsody too. (A select few will have the Chesky Gold CD of No.2...)

My love of all things BIS led me to the 20/44.1 download of Concertos 1&4(revised) with Noriko Ogawa/Hughes/Malmo SO, gloriously recorded with a lovely Paganini thing again (the 17th and 18th Variations as naturally phrased and crowningly climactic as any I've heard). These have reviewed very well too as have their 2 and 3, which I haven't heard.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I see that internet sensation Valentina Lisitsa has recorded the concertos in a fancy new Decca box but reviews appear to be mixed .

I had this set for review. It will appear in May's IRR. I shall say no more.

[Ferretfancy]

Byron Janis with the Moscow PO and Kondrashin is hard to beat in No. 3, and his performance of No. 1 is also excellent. These were the first recordings to made in the Soviet Union by an American company ( Mercury ) after the Russian public had been bowled over by live performances.
Janis made another fine recording of No' 1 with Reiner in Chicago.
As for No 2, there are just so many good ones it's impossible to choose. I have a soft spot for Moiseiwitsch in 1937 with the LPO and Walter Goehr, probably because I can remember seeing him play it.
Nobody has done a better performance of No. 4 than Michelangeli, this is one of the great performances.

[Barbirollians]

I like the sound of Ogawa's set though why it remained unreleased for so long beats me .

I have the Andsnes set too - it is very fine but very fine rather than sensationally exciting to my ears.

Ashkenazy/Fistoulari in No 3 is good too .

[BBMmk2]

I dont think that anyone has mentioned Ashkenazy's first foray with the LSO/Previn? Martha Argerich only played this once but that Chinese pianist., with Claudio Abbado(what's her name? (She did a p[rom a couple years back with andrew Litton?)

[Tony Halstead]

I dont think that anyone has mentioned Ashkenazy's first foray with the LSO/Previn? Martha Argerich only played this once but that Chinese pianist., with Claudio Abbado(what's her name? (She did a p[rom a couple years back with andrew Litton?)

But it wasn't Ashkenazy's first foray with the LSO...! That was with Anatole Fistoulari / LSO ( as noted above in message #12 by Barbirollians).
His 1970-1971 Decca version with LSO/ Previn is also very fine although I confess to being biased as I was playing 1st horn on it...
However, I dug it out a few weeks ago and had a serious, analytical listen to it and thought that the piano in the first 30-odd bars sounded out-of-tune, rather flat to the orchestra. Or maybe the orchestra hadn't tuned carefully enough to the piano?
of course, that was back in the golden days of the 1970s when Steinways were still tuned to A=440hz pitch. It's depressing to report that ( I have this on good authority) Steinway tuners are now instructed by Senior Management to tune to A=442hz.

[richardfinegold]

Don't really buy lots, but the Earl Wild/Horenstein/RPO set seems pretty good to me, at least they do in in the outstanding Chesky transfers. Brilliant Paganini Rhapsody too. (A select few will have the Chesky Gold CD of No.2...)

My love of all things BIS led me to the 20/44.1 download of Concertos 1&4(revised) with Noriko Ogawa/Hughes/Malmo SO, gloriously recorded with a lovely Paganini thing again (the 17th and 18th Variations as naturally phrased and crowningly climactic as any I've heard). These have reviewed very well too as have their 2 and 3, which I haven't heard.

agree with you about the Wild/Horenstein, don't know the Bis. You should try the High Res download of Byron Janis in 2 and 3