Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 3 [CD]

This is a new remastering of these classic recordings, thanks to sound engineer Mark Obert-Thorn. It is superior to RCA's remastering (released about 10 years ago). The fullness and bloom of the orchestra here is great; you will hear details that you can't hear on RCA's release, which now sounds rather ugly. As to the sound of Rachmaninoff's piano ... it never sounded better. Here, he seems to play with more color and finesse than ever.

Rachmaninoff plays the Second Concerto complete, with no omissions, but omissions occur in the Third Concerto. Rachmaninoff deliberately omits two "small" sections in the first movement including a few chords in the cadenza, a rather large chunk of the second movement, and two sections in the finale. (I say "deliberately," because he could have recorded the whole Concerto had he wished to do so: the original release on 78rpm discs had one fewer disc than was possible. So it wasn't recording technology that is responsible for these omissions.)

Why did he make these "cuts" in the Third Concerto? Some people have suggested that he felt intimidated by Vladimir Horowitz, who put out a blockbuster recording of the Third Concerto in the early 1930s which was heavily cut. Other people say (and they probably come closer to the truth) that in his later years Rachmaninoff saw concision as a virtue in music because of his conversations with his composer friend Medtner, and cut away at some of his earlier pieces to make them tighter. Of course, most reviewers in the old days thought the Third Concerto was too long. The reviewer at the New York premiere said the first movement and finale could take some cuts with no substantial loss. Who was that bloke?

If you are new to Rachmaninoff's own playing, you're in for a treat, but you're also in for a few shocks. First of all, forget the Richter recording of the Second Concerto! Rachmaninoff etches the first movement of the Second in substantially under 10 minutes. It sounds perfect to everyone except those who were weaned on the abominable Richter recording. In general, Rachmaninoff plays quite fast, in a direct no-nonsense manner with strong rhythmic accents. Think "strong black coffee" rather than "bloated strawberry daiquiri." Despite this (or perhaps because of it), the phrasing and texture are miracles, delicate, aristocratic, and "masculine."

The Second Concerto is perfectly played, though a bit cool. The playing in the Third Concerto is especially remarkable. Horowitz, among others, commented that this isn't Rachmaninoff's best playing and that he sounds bored with the Concerto. It's an odd kind of bored, nonetheless. The concerto is dispatched with cold, superhuman fury. (Martha Argerich can't hold a candle to him in this respect.) It sounds almost like a "speeded-up" recording - and we know it wasn't. The first-movement cadenza is incredible. I doubt even Liszt could have played it that way. It is terrifying; the transition to the part (toward the end) where the orchestra enters is like a rocket ship gaining velocity until it vanishes. How the piano remained physically intact during this cadenza, I'm at a loss to explain.

Hearing this CD, you will be transported back to Rachmaninoff's own age. You will hear what he wanted his music to sound like.

At five pounds, this is a must-have recording. Don't forget to look for the sister release on Naxos of Rachmaninoff playing his First Concerto, Fourth Concerto, and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (also remastered by Mark Obert-Thorn).