Notes and Editorial Reviews
The unique combination of 'Russian' melancholy and urbane elegance, exuberant melodies and opulent harmonies has given Sergei Rachmaninov's Second and Third Piano Concertos an undying popularity. These were the works that made Rachmaninov famous, both as performer and composer, and which became the yardstick against which his other works were measured. Less frequently programmed are the two concertos that frame them. Piano Concerto No.1 was written in 1890-91 while Rachmaninov was still a student at the Moscow Conservatory, but didn't become widely known before extensive revisions in 1917. This was shortly before the composer left Russia for good as a consequence of the revolution, and during his first years of exile, Rachmaninov kept busy
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as a touring performer - often of his own works - with very little time for composing. Only in 1926 did he launch into a new large-scale composition: the Fourth Piano Concerto. With the audience expecting a work in the vein of the two preceding concertos, the first performance was not a success, however. The work was criticized for being difficult, and the lack of those 'big tunes' that had become a Rachmaninov trademark was bemoaned. The self-critical composer immediately started revising the work, and later withdrew it. He returned to it only in 1941 when he produced the version which is usually performed today. After the disappointment of the Fourth Concerto another long silence ensued; not until 1934 did Rachmaninov venture to compose another large-scale work, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43. This time the reception was enthusiastic and the Paganini Rhapsody remains one of his most popular works, in which the famous A minor theme of Paganini's 24th Caprice for solo violin is made to yield breathtaking results. Noriko Ogawa has previously released the Piano Concertos Nos 2 and 3, with the same conductor and orchestra - a disc which received a warm reception, for instance in Fanfare: 'Magnificent, beautifully refined performances... with remarkably sophisticated support provided by Arwel Hughes and the excellent Malmö orchestra'. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:
Noriko Ogawa (Piano)
Conductor:
Owain Arwel Hughes
Period: Romantic
Written: 1891/1917; Russia
Date of Recording: 06/2001
Venue: Malmö Concert Hall, Sweden
Length: 29 Minutes 0 Secs.
2.
Concerto for Piano no 4 in G minor, Op. 40 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:
Noriko Ogawa (Piano)
Conductor:
Owain Arwel Hughes
Period: Romantic
Written: 1926/1941; USA
Date of Recording: 06/1998
Venue: Malmö Concert Hall, Sweden
Length: 27 Minutes 21 Secs.
3.
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op. 43 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:
Noriko Ogawa (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1934; USA
Date of Recording: 11/1998
Venue: Malmö Concert Hall, Sweden
Length: 20 Minutes 26 Secs.
Sound Samples
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: I. Vivace
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: II. Andante
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1: III. Allegro vivace
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40: I. Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40: II. Largo
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40: III. Allegro vivace
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Introduction: Allegro vivace
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 1: Precedente
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Theme: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 2: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 3: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 4: Piu vivo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 5: Tempo precedente
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 6: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 7: Meno mosso, a tempo moderato
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 8: Tempo I
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 9: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 10: Poco marcato
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 11: Moderato
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 12: Tempo di minuetto
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 13: Allegro
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 14: L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 15: Piu vivo scherzando
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 16. Allegretto
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 17: (Allegretto)
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 18: Andante cantabile
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 19: A tempo vivace
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 20: Un poco piu vivo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 21: Un poco piu vivo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 22: Un poco piu vivo (Alla breve)
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 23. L'istesso tempo
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 24: A tempo un poco meno mosso
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