Rachmaninov Works for Piano & Orchestra
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Sergey Rachmaninov
Label: Chandos
Magazine Review Date: 4/1991
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: DBTD2025
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Composer or Director: Sergey Rachmaninov
Label: Chandos
Magazine Review Date: 4/1991
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 154
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CHAN8882/3
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Bryden Thomson, Conductor Howard Shelley, Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
Author:
It comes, too, with the expected sumptuous Chandos sound, the kind of combined clarity and ambient warmth which you will only otherwise encounter with Ashkenazy and Haitink on Decca—the mid-price Ashkenazy/Previn, also from Decca, is coarsely recorded (1972 vintage) and has the piano severely out of tune in the First Concerto; Chandos's own refurbishment of RCA's 1965 Earl Wild recordings is a great improvement on that, but it inevitably sounds a shade artificial by comparison with the new recording. Still, for all its impressive richness, the new Chandos may not win universal approval. The piano is brought a long way forward, and this has mixed results—it is a pleasure to hear Shelley's beautifully prepared playing at close quarters, but the occasional obscuring of orchestral lines (hear the approach to the Second Concerto's grandstand finish, from 8'55'') is regrettable, and we lose the excitement that comes from a more realistic perspective with a soloist tapping every last ounce of strength in order to ride over the orchestral tutti. Curiously it is the Second Concerto, the oldest warhorse of the lot, that comes across as the freshest interpretation. True, Shelley can be rather predictably yielding in lyrical themes, and his premature wilting at 7'36'' nearly undoes all his good work in preparation for the slow movement climax (incidentally the penultimate note in this movement has somehow been lost). But the first two movements each build with exceptional conviction towards their apexes and there is no want of impulse in the finale. Shelley cuts loose here, to what might have been thrilling effect had Bryden Thomson been able to match the flow of adrenalin and secure a crisper orchestral response.
The Third Concerto is also a success from the pianistic point of view. I can imagine many listeners wanting more spontaneity and daredevilry, but playing safe brings considerable rewards when the temperament and musicality are so finely tuned. By comparison with Shelley, Wild sounds a fraction hurried, even perfunctory here (as well as observing the structurally damaging cuts). Shelley chooses the lighter first movement cadenza and integrates it with a better judged rubato than most. The slow movement again shows how much passion he can release when the mood takes him.
If comparisons with Wild are broadly favourable to Shelley in the Second and Third Concertos, the opposite is the case with the other three works. Again, the musicianship is unimpeachable, but his general disinclination for display, manifest in a comparatively modest range of colour and accent and in overly smooth contours in phrasing, means that he cannot give the First Concerto the help it needs to keep the listener's attention. Take his sensitive shading down near the beginning of the first movement cadenza, for instance (10'17'')—very tasteful, very English, but in this context dangerously enervating. In the Fourth Concerto the boundary between subtlety and tameness is crossed several times (to see if you agree, try the 9/8 theme in the finale, from 2'00''; and why does Shelley shy away from the dissonance at 6'38'' in the slow movement?). The Paganini Rhapsody has its moments, but the second half rather emphasizes what was missing in the first half—electricity. This is somehow Rachmaninov on a full stomach—it lacks appetite and animal drive.
It has to be said that the accompaniments do not always give Shelley the lift he deserves or the impetus the music demands. They are decently enough played—I could list many less refined efforts in the current catalogue—but they have a tendency to be fractionally slow on the uptake. It is surely no coincidence that the most memorable Rachmaninov concerto recordings, such as Wild in No. 1 and the Rhapsody, Richter on DG in No. 2 ((CD) 415 119-2GH, 6/85), Michelangeli on EMI in No. 4 ((CD) CDC7 49326-2, 9/88), all have outstandingly fine orchestral contributions (there are several fine versions of No. 3, but none I would care to rank with the aforementioned).
All the same, this is an issue with many sterling virtues, especially in the Second and Third Concertos. If you want a well-recorded integral set to complement classic accounts of individual concertos, this will provide you with consistently affectionate, refined and euphonious music-making. Ashkenazy provides greater dramatic immediacy and pianistic address, and the Concertgebouw are distinguished partners; but theirs is only one view among many, and even in their own rather conventionally romantic terms there is plenty to take issue with. My own feeling is that shopping around is the best policy.'
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
SubscribeGramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.