Carnaval, Op.9: 20 Marche des 'Davidsbundler' contre les Philistins
Chants polonais de Frederic Chopin, S.480: 1 The Maiden's Wish
Chants polonais de Frederic Chopin, S.480: 6 Return Home
Track Listings (23) - Disc #2
Violin Partita No.3 In E, BWV 1006: Preludio
Violin Partita No.3 In E, BWV 1006: Gavotte
Violin Partita No.3 In E, BWV 1006: Gigue
Flight Of The Bumble-bee
Scherzo From 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
Man lebt nur einmal (Valse caprice, Op.167 No.2)
Lullaby, Op.16 No.1
Novembre: Troika (From 'Les saisons,' Op.37b)
Rachmaninoff: Polka de V.R.
Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. No.2
Melody In E, Op.3 No.3
Humoresque In G, Op.10 No.5
Moment Musical In E Flat Minor, Op.16 No.2
Prelude In G Flat, Op.23 No.10
Prelude In E, Op.32 No.3
Prelude In F Minor, Op.32 No.6
Prelude In F, Op.32 No.7
Etude -Tableau In C, Op.33 No.2
Etude - Tableau In E Flat, Op.33 No.7
Daisies, Op.38 No.3
Oriental Sketch
Liebesleid
Liebesfreud
The commercial success of the Rachmaninoff disc A Window in Time defied the odds and became a chart topper: here were recordings not of the great pianist-composer but of his piano rolls. Only problem: they were just piano... more » rolls. By contrast, these discs (part of Philips's comprehensive Great Pianists series) offer an affordable chance to hear the real Rach in action, and they're not to be missed. The composer's big hands tackle Chopin's Funeral March Sonata with a sobering grace and power that still sound timeless. Schumann's Carnival, despite low fidelity, is breathtaking in Rachmaninoff's colorful hands. Hearing the composer play his own works on disc 2 is a revelation: his style is neither flashy nor subdued. Oriental Sketch is expressive and rollicking but never overdone. The sound quality on these recordings ranges from fair to good (surface noise is always apparent), but to fans of Rachmaninoff (and great piano playing), a little hiss can be easily ignored. These recordings have a ton of character and life. --Jason Verlinde« less
The commercial success of the Rachmaninoff disc A Window in Time defied the odds and became a chart topper: here were recordings not of the great pianist-composer but of his piano rolls. Only problem: they were just piano rolls. By contrast, these discs (part of Philips's comprehensive Great Pianists series) offer an affordable chance to hear the real Rach in action, and they're not to be missed. The composer's big hands tackle Chopin's Funeral March Sonata with a sobering grace and power that still sound timeless. Schumann's Carnival, despite low fidelity, is breathtaking in Rachmaninoff's colorful hands. Hearing the composer play his own works on disc 2 is a revelation: his style is neither flashy nor subdued. Oriental Sketch is expressive and rollicking but never overdone. The sound quality on these recordings ranges from fair to good (surface noise is always apparent), but to fans of Rachmaninoff (and great piano playing), a little hiss can be easily ignored. These recordings have a ton of character and life. --Jason Verlinde
"I just want to enter my mild disagreement with the "Music Fan from Pittsburgh", whose less than total endorsement of this recording might put off some folks, even though the reviewer did recommend it. These performances of Carnaval and the Chopin Sonata are two of the most astonishing piano performances I have ever heard, and I've been a student of the piano and pianists for well over 50 years now. Yes, Rubinstein's Scherzi are also essential; I'm not so sure about Pollini's Sonata (fabulous pianism that just leaves me cold). Rachmaninoff is in that rarified category of the 5 or 10 greatest pianists of the 20th century, and like each of them, he was absolutely unique. Anyone who wants to collect the work of the greatest pianists needs to have every note that Rachmaninoff recorded."
THE REAL RACHMANINOFF
Hank Drake | 09/07/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I would add to the reviews below only the comment that these recordings are the *real* Rachmaninoff; the deadly computerized ennui of the "A Window in Time" CDs is the diametrical opposite of the sense of joy, alertness, colorfulness, and liveliness found on his *actual recordings*. These actual recordings capture the *genuine* dynamic range and expressiveness of Rachmaninoff's playing, because they are recordings of the *sound* of his playing. The piano rolls, by contrast, are not recordings of sound waves but of when and where he punched the keys of a player piano, transferred to a Bosendorfer by a computer and recorded from that. Moreover, Rachmaninoff performed on and preferred Steinways. The electrical Bosendorfer of "A Window in Time" sounds little better than a starter-level Casio synthesizer: terribly limited dynamic range, each note sounds much like the last, and personality or emotion is simply not to be found. If you want the opposite of bland and monochromatic when it comes to music, and particularly when it comes to Rachmaninoff, then get his own recordings. By the way, when he said of his piano roll recordings, "I have just heard myself play," Rachmaninoff was referring to playback on a pneumatic Ampico, a far cry from the computerized, all-smooth-edges, no-excitement Bosendorfer/Casio."
Rachmaninoff as only he could play
Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 03/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Window in Time CDs (which stem from computerized piano rolls) are wonderful in their way, but one should not be without at least this 2CD sampler of Rachmaninoff's best solo recordings. The Schumann Carnaval remains the single greatest performance of this quixotic piece ever recorded. The Chopin Sonata, Op. 35 may not be "by the book" enough for modern tastes, but remains a shattering performance, one feels destroyed after hearing it. Rachmaninoff is, naturally, peerless in his own solo works. Incidentally, not all of these pieces were recorded on Steinway pianos. Despite what historical revisionists and Steinway propagandists may assert, Rachmaninoff's favorite piano was the Mason & Hamlin Model CC. (His first, acoustical, recording of his own Second Piano Concerto was made using a Mason & Hamlin.) Unfortunately, Masons were in short supply by the time many of these recordings were made, and Rachmaninoff, like many other pianists, was compelled to use Steinways in most concert halls.
Some of Rachmaninoff's earliest recordings were made on an upright! Whatever piano he used, Rachmaninoff made it sound great."
Words cannot explain how great his playing is!
David | AZ | 01/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It would be worth creating a time machine just to go see Rachmaninoff play! The playing on this set is truly spectacular. I had the same problem as the earlier reviewer, I regretted buying this CD because I could have bought his complete recording from RCA. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent sample of the playing of one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. It's a shame that Rachmaninoff didn't record any other large-scaled works other than the Chopin Funeral March Sonata and the Schumann Carnaval. The recording of the Chopin Sonata is my favorite favorite recording along with the Horowitz recording on Sony. The Schumann Carnaval is my absolute favorite of this work, there is no comparison!
All the other smaller pieces on this set are played to perfection. The Chopin ballade and scherzo are beautifully played. It's a joy to hear some of these transcriptions played, some of them are neglected these days. Everyone interested in Rachmaninoff should own recordings of him playing his own music, the selections here are wonderful.
The sound quality is obviously nothing near todays standards, and understandably so considering the recording dates range from 1921-1942. Overall this set his HIGHLY recommended, if you wouldn't be bothered by the poor sound quality. Rachmaninoff's playing has what many pianists today lack, which is individuality and imagination."