
Rachmaninov: MacDowell: Concerto No.3, Concerto No.2
Disk Number:
Chesky Records CD 76, ADD
Contents:
Rachmaninov:
Piano Concerto No.3, Op.30 in D minor
I, Allegro
II, Intermezzo
III, Finale. Allegro
MacDowell
Piano Concerto No.2, Op.23 in D minor*
I, Larghetto calmato
II, Presto giocoso
III, Largo – Molto allegro
Artists:
Earl Wild piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Jascha Horenstein conductor
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra*
Massimo Freccia conductor*
Recorded Date:
Originally released 1965, 1967
Producer:
Charles Gerhardt
Engineer:
Kenneth Wilkinson
Piano Technician:
It’s one of the most effective Rachmaninov performances I have ever heard, and it considerably changed my view of this music. It’s not just the fire, clarity, and excitement of the performance, but a whole new way of thinking about the music. The work’s phrasing, thematic signposts, and changes of tempo – the inner character of each idea and section – seem very classical (everything is clearly etched here), yet it’s at the same time full of drama (contrast, exchange, confict and resolution). As a result, the concerto not only seems extraordinarily vivid in this recording, it reveals a surprising amount of inner strength and backbone.
Eric Salzman, Stereo Review