Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Review

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Overview

These are fine performances. Zimerman's playing can be somewhat self-conscious, and at times he seems to be aware that he ought to say something new about these well-known works, but he's never less than animated. The first concerto comes across as stylish and warm, with the melodies clear amidst the sheer brilliance of the playing and the rhythms strongly underlined. The lack of mania is most welcome. (Earl Wild's performance of this work on Chandos, however, is more spectacular than any other.) The second, better-known work, is an honest, straightforward reading, with the first movement's finale expansive and grand, an Adagio of surprising affection and meditation, and a final movement in which the very familiar second melody shows up almost surprisingly in its freshness. If this lacks the tension found in some other recordings, it makes up for it in a non-garish boldness which shines. The recording of choice here is Ashkenazy's on Decca, but, again, both of these concerti are well-served by Zimerman, and Ozawa's leadership of the BSO is masterful. --Robert Levine

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