WGBH Radio WGBH Radio theclassicalstation.org

Classic Library - Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No 3


Release Date: 04/20/2004 
Label:  Rca Victor Red Seal Catalog #: 59411   Spars Code: ADD 
Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
Conductor:  Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New York Philharmonic
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: n/a 
Length: 1 Hours 6 Mins. 

In Stock: Usually ships in 24 hours.  

Works on This Recording

1.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:  Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:  New York Philharmonic
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1909; Russia 
2.
Sonata for Piano no 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1913/1931; Russia 
 Notes: Composition written: Russia (1913).
Composition revised: Russia (1931). 

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 2 Customer Reviews )
 Thanks for ArkivMusic.com April 11, 2012 By P. Siegel (Beachwood, OH) See All My Reviews "I was searching the Title and Artist I wanted and stumbled onto your site. Lucky me! You are just what I want for all future purchases of CD music." Report Abuse
 A Valedictory December 23, 2011 By T. Drake (South Euclid, OH) See All My Reviews "The version of Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto was originally recorded live in January of 1978 and released about three weeks after the concert. By rushing the LP into stores, RCA was able to cash in on the publicity of Horowitz's Golden Jubilee, but the sound on the original release was very poor indeed. The piano was miked too closely, and the orchestra mix was very poor. The CD released in the mid-1980s was a great improvement over the LP, but the sonics were problematic there also: The piano was mixed down too severely and seemed to recede behind the orchestra in some passages. This new High Performance reissue is a vast improvement over both earlier versions. The balance problems have been solved, and both piano and orchestra have a much warmer, deeper sound. The dynamic range has been greatly opened up - the final timpani THWACK at the end of the Concerto is quite startling.

As for the performance, this remains my sentimental favorite - even though Horowitz was in better shape in the 1951 version with Reiner than he was in 1978. (He was 74 when this recording was made.) There is something about Horowitz's phrasing, his ability to vary the tempo without losing hold of the basic pulse, and his mixing of inner voices that seems so right. It is more than mere piano playing, it is the art of PERFORMANCE. Bringing the music to life is more than putting the right finger in the right place at the right time--and Horowitz was a master of this elusive art. The Rachmaninoff Third Concerto was undoubtedly the greatest piano concerto of the 20th century, and this is my desert island performance--warts and all.

The Sonata was recorded in concert in 1980. Horowitz plays his own "compromise" version of the Sonata - which is an improvement over the rambling 1913 original and emasculated 1931 editions. It's a pity that no Horowitz Performing Edition was ever published. Personally, I prefer Horowitz's lithe, pantherlike 1968 recording on Sony to the brooding, moody performance heard here. The sound on the Sony disc is also superior, but RCA has again improved the sound over earlier issues. The piano sounds warmer and less tinny, and the dynamic range is greatly increased.

This disc is a must for all piano enthusiasts. " Report Abuse
Review This Title
Review This Title Share on Facebook