Published on Jan 4, 2019
S.Rachmaninoff. Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30. Soloist Alexandеr Malofeev (17 y.o.). Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Dimitris Botinis. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. 30/12/2018
Rachmaninoff: 10 Preludes Op.23 (Lugansky)
November 24, 2018
Published on Nov 5, 2015
It’s not easy to think of a composer who was Chopin’s match in writing miniatures, but Rachmaninoff at least comes very close. His preludes are marvels of textural innovation, harmonic imagination, gorgeous counterpoint (Rachmaninoff’s brilliance at counterpoint is really not noticed often enough), and lyricism in all its forms — bleak, sweeping, stark, doleful, lush. (Individual descriptions below.)
Lugansky’s performances are some of my favourites. I think of him as being for Rachmaninoff what Rubinstein was for Chopin. There’s nothing bloated or forced about his style, and it manages to find a perfect middle ground between harsh, steely banginess (a bit easy too easy to slip into with Rachmaninoff) and saccharine melodrama. The melodies are clear, the counterpoint well-formed, the tempi judicious, the musical peaks and troughs clear even in the densest passages. In some passages Lugansky also reveals a gift for startling coloration. With music as naturally rich as Rachmaninoff’s the result is a fantastic listening experience, completely bereft of the sense of weary struggle and stiffness you sometimes get.
1. Largo, F-sharp minor — 0:00 2. *Maestoso, B-flat major — 3:26. Lugansky’s performance is both thunderously exuberant and tightly controlled. The LH melodies in the middle section are impeccably outlined: 4:23 onward. 3. Tempo di minuetto, D minor — 6:53. Note the striking canonic passage with diminuition at 9:28. 4. Andante cantabile, D major — 10:27. Unorthodox harmonies scaffolding a simple but marvelous melody. 5. *Alla marcia, G minor — 15:04. Yet again, more striking counterpoint from 16:48 onward. 6. *Andante, E-flat major — 18:52. Note how carefully Lugansky parses the minor voices in an already contrapuntally dense prelude. E.g.: 20:15. 7. *Allegro, C minor — 22:04. One of Rachmaninoff’s best. Lugansky produces some stunning bell-like sounds [22:28] and dynamic changes [23:27]. 8. Allegro vivace, A-flat major — 24:28 9. Presto, E-flat minor — 27:41 10: *Largo, G-flat major — 29:27 This neglected prelude features some of Rachmanioff’s starkest and most beautiful counterpoint [31:35++] played with impeccable clarity, with some lovely harmonic turns and arpeggiation thrown into the mix [see e.g., 32:36++.]
Rachmaninoff – Étude-Tableaux Op. 39 No. 5 (Kissin)
June 28, 2018
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Argerich
January 4, 2018
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto “No 5”
May 15, 2016
Daniil Trifonov – Living the Classical Life – Episode 10
December 8, 2015
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Evgeny Kissin plays Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2
September 18, 2015
Bach/Rachmaninoff, Suite from the Violin Partita in E (BWV 1006)
August 10, 2015
Earl Wild – Vocalise – Pianist Sophie Wang
June 17, 2015
Rachmaninoff – Prelude Op. 23 No. 2 (Richter)
April 14, 2015
Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 3 – Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson
November 10, 2014
Vikingur Olafsson
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no.3 op. 30
1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Intermezzo: Adagio
3. Finale: Alla breve
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Vikingur Olafsson piano
Rumon Gamba conductor
http://www.vikingurolafsson.com
http://www.rumon.freeserve.co.uk
Variation 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagainini, Op. 43
Boston Pops Orchestra
Arthur Fiedler, conductor
Leonard Pennario, piano
The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in A minor, opus 43, is a concertante work (20 to 25 minutes in length), written by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is written for solo piano and symphony orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto. The work was written at Villa Senar, according to the score, from July 3 to August 18 1934. Rachmaninoff himself, a noted interpreter of his own works, played the solo piano part at the piece’s premiere at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 7, 1934 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The piece is a set of 24 variations on the twenty-fourth and last of Niccolò Paganini’s Caprices for solo violin, which has inspired works by several composers. The slow eighteenth variation is by far the most well-known, and it is often included on classical music compilations without the rest of the work. It is based on an inversion of the melody of Paganini’s theme. In other words, the A minor Paganini theme is played “upside down” in D flat major. Rachmaninoff himself recognized the appeal of this variation, saying “This one, is for my agent.”
Quoted from Michael Steinberg’s “The Concerto: a listener’s guide”
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)
Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances op.45
July 25, 2013
NOTE: Composers, this piece illustrates the many tonal colors available to each instrument. I hope it inspires you to create music that hears them in new ways.
Meer op http://www.hetzondagochtendconcert.nl en http://klassiek.avro.nl
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest o.l.v. Edward Gardner
18 december 2011, 11:00 uur, Grote Zaal van het Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
I Write The Music 