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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's amazing what technology can do, 26 Feb 2002
In this incredible CD, you can hear exactly how Rachmaninov played these pieces.They were originally played on an Ampico piano, a glorified pianola, which laid down each note onto a recording medium made from paper. Every smallest detail of velocity and force was captured minutely, and thereby a permanent record was made of some of the most intense piano playing in history was made, in the years before hi-fidelity audio recordings had been developed. In the last few years, these recordings have been analysed in the tiniest detail, and this wealth of musical history has been unearthed and transcribed into the rather more state-of-the-art technology of the CD, and without a doubt this has been a hugely successful operation. This CD contains the complete collection of the works that Rachmaninov laid down in this manner. Most of them are his own compositions, although a fair number are his own interpretations of the works of other composers. Notable among these are Rinsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble-Bee" and a solidly performed version of "The Star-Spangled Banner". There never was a pianist the likes of Rachmaninov, and it's doubtful that there will ever be again. It's a wonder that these performances exist - without them, this master's pianistic achievements would never have become available to us mere mortals. A must-buy for all fans of Rachmaninov.
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