Search - Constance Keene, Rachmaninoff :: Plays Rachmaninoff Complete Preludes

The best Rachmaninoff preludes, bar none.

M. Sotil | Bronx, NY USA | 10/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Back in 1970 or thereabouts I was browsing for Rachmaninoff at the old (and grand) Sam Goody's store on West 49th Street in Manhattan, where I came across a set of the preludes played by (to me unknown) pianist Constance Keene. This was a 2 LP set on the Philips World Series label (No. PHC 2-006). I already owned some other sets and single Prelude offerings by the likes of Maura Limpany, Vladimir Ashkenazy (still a pianist in the Soviet Union), Rachmaninoff himself and others. I took the recording home and the playing knocked me off the chair. The playing can only be compared with Sviatoslav Richter's, then hardly available in the US. The records' quality was lousy when played on my then near state-of-the-art stereo equipment. I took it back to Sam Goody's and exchanged it for another set believing that I had lucked out on a bad pressing. The new set was exactly the same (bad pressing), but the wonderful instrument of the ear compensated for the shortcomings. I kept the recording because I knew that there was nothing like it in the whole Rachmaninoff recorded literature. In fact I went back to purchase a second set for back up. For those who are not aware of who Constance Keene is, this is what no less than Josef Hofman said on a greeting to a young Ms. Keene (then married to the late music critic Abram Chassin): "I was glad to know positively it was you who played so superbly last July in Chicago. Now a bit of Xmas cheer and my very best wishes to you and Abram for a very happy new year." Artur Rubinstein had this to say about Ms. Keene's Rachmaninoff: "I cannot imagine anybody, including Rachmaninoff himself, playing the Preludes more beautifully. I was completely flabbergasted by the fantastic sweep, the color, tone, and, last but not least, the incredible technique". it has been a long time since and I have found nothing to upstage this recording. This review refers to the LP release of sometime around 1970."

Bravura

M. Sotil | 06/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Constance Keene attacks Rachmaninov's preludes with bravura. The more quiet and lyrical ones lack a notch in sensitivity. The tecnical aspect of the recording is perfect"

One of the Best Rachmaninov Recordings EVER!

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have treasured my two-LP set of these performances for thirty years and jumped at the chance when the CD reissue came out to buy not one but two copies of it. That's how much I love these performances. Like one of the earlier reviewers I had never heard of Constance Keene before I bought the LPs. But she quickly went into the top echelon of pianists for me. Unfortunately, I never heard her play in person, and the only other recording of hers I ever heard was of Weber sonatas, although I recall hearing that she had recorded some Chopin and Hummel works as well. Be that as it may, this is definitely an issue worth searching out.



Arthur Rubinstein said of her, "I was flabbergasted by the fantastic color, sweep and imagination, and last but not least, by the incredible technique ... I cannot imagine anybody, including Rachmaninoff, playing the piano so beautifully". Quite a recommendation, wouldn't you say?



Scott Morrison"