Search - Rachmaninoff, Thibaudet, Ashkenazy :: Piano Concerto 4

My favourite recording of my favourite concerto... BY FAR

euni | Seoul, Korea | 07/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Surprisingly, I like the fouth piano concerto much more than the other three concerti by Rachmaninoff. This recording is the fifth(!) one I bought, and I absolutely cherish it. I cannot explain why I think it is superb. I just feel it. The first movement of the concerto is the most "most" (This is what my friend obsessed with Rachmaninoff used to say about Prelude in g minor!)... I feel that Ashkenazy "somehow" knows how to bring out the best(?) in Rachmaninoff's music. Thibaudet is excellent as the soloist. I have all my envy and respect for him."

Another disc of Rachmaninov. . . BUT WAIT!

euni | 08/03/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor of Rachmaninov lives unfortunately in the shadows of its two immediate predecessors: the ubiquitous No. 2 in C minor and the No. 3 in D minor played by both the silver and gold-medal winners of the 1997 Cliburn Competition. While the fourth concerto's oblivion is not entirely deserved, it IS a bit less impressive as a whole concept, especially in the third movement: Where are the singable tunes that are crucial to the finales of the Concerto No. 2 and No. 3 of the same composer? Anyway, Thibaudet's dynamics and expression are flawless; the Corelli Variations are a study in skips, subtle pianissimos and chord-shouting fortissimos. The Sonata in B-flat minor is played with an equal range of sound. If you don't own a copy of any of the three major works presented on this disc, buy it for sure. The c-sharp minor prelude is merely filler; I hardly ever listen to that piece anymore. . . ."

My Favorite CD Of The Rachmaninov Fourth Piano Concerto

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thibaudet gives a dynamic, lyrical performance of Rachmaninov's Fourth Piano Concerto which sounds a bit more vibrant than Ashkenazy's celebrated account with Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. This is now my favorite account of Rachmaninov's most serene concerto. Ashkenazy and the Cleveland Orchestra are fine accompanists to Thibaudet's playing, though Decca's sound engineers took the questionable step of overshadowing Thibaudet's performance with the orchestra's in some passages of the score. Thibaudet's elegant, refined playing is recorded better on the Corelli Variations and the sonata; both of these are played with as much lyricism and warmth as the concerto. Like Grimaud, Thibaudet is a French pianist who plays Rachmaninov with a firm understanding of the composer's soul."