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| | Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2; Etudes-Tableaux | | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | RCA | | Release Date : | | 1993-08-10 | | Store Price : | | $8.99 | | Artistopia's Price: $8.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Moderato: Allegro
2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto
3. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18: Allegro scherzando
4. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 1 in C minor
5. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 2 in A minor
6. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 4 in B minor
7. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 5 in E-flat minor
8. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 6 in A minor
9. Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 39: No. 9 in D major
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Splendid...then spin, my artifice
Submitted on: 2009-06-22 |
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Kissin at his finest. And the London Symphony Orchestra is certainly a treat. Addmitedly, my purchase of this selection was based on the extensive usage of Rachmaninof's concerto No.2 in the classic film 'Brief Encounter'.Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection
Sometimes it's not enough to just hear portions and segments of a masterpiece. And while I'll admit that Mozart is my favorite classical composer, there are some themes from Rachmaninoff which have found their way into many places of my life. He's one of the musicians who succedes in making the world just a bit smaller I think.
The concerto in this recording runs about 35 minutes in 3 movements. Then there's an additional table of Etudes, Op. 39, which may be more about demonstrating the talents of the pianist. Probably one of Kissin's favorite exercises. But his depth of feeling for Rachmaninoff, in general, is apparant throughout the whole recording, lacking only 9 seconds of a full hour of music.
The initial Allegro movement (meaning 'at a lively pace' or tempo) is sincere, to the very climax, when the melody opens it's petals in the form of a Russian folk dance melody, set to the cadence of a march. You might almost see those knee crunching Cossack dancers in your mind's eye.
The Adagio, (an eased or liesurely pace or tempo) revives the initial theme again like a soft breeze. Here the composer decorates the score with some musical ornaments to accentuate the primary melody again. Wind ornaments (flute, clairinet, French horn, etc.) softly accompany the piano forte, gracefully interweaving their complementary melodies, building and rebuilding the crescendos until, with a final grand flourish of the keyboard, the central melody again is carried out softly by strings and winds, with several complementary tempos of musical ornament.
The concluding Allegro marches right into full swing (sort of like the 'Love for Three Oranges') beginning with what I think sounds like a mousey Oboe part, but suddenly leading the piano into an orchestral full accompaniment of thunder, and then lulling back to the variations on the original theme. Orchestral thunder and grand piano counter points are recurrent in this finale movement. This movement also accentuates a theme on the strings with some chords I'm certain have made their home in the film score from 'Lawrence of Arabia', perhaps the signature role of Peter O'Toole, and one of my favorites.
Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition) |
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 Truly, Stunningly Horrible!
Submitted on: 2009-06-18 |
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I heard this Rach 2 on public radio today, and was awestruck. I waited for twenty minutes in my driveway to hear who could possibly posses this clumsy sense of rhythm, this ability to make even the most graceful transitions sound forced, this manor of hammering awkwardly at the most beautiful left-hand runs ever composed, and a total -- and I mean complete and utter -- lack of dramatic sensibility. The local NPR station sometimes plays recordings of the local community orchestra; perhaps the no-name soloist from last season?... No, I would have remembered a performance as bad as this...
Of course I recognized the name of Kissin when I heard it, famous as it is. However, I am not familiar with the rest of his discography for a simple reason; I only buy discs which are acclaimed critically. Yet, modest as Kissin's reputation is among reviewers, this performance truly shocked me. It really was THAT bad.
(I know that most one-star reviews are just hyperbole from ignorant reviewers looking for attention. I know it's hard to take a one-star review seriously, which is why I've never given one before. But, to my ears, this release truly was remarkably poor. Please don't flame me for that.) |
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 OK Concerto, excellent Etudes-Tableaux.
Submitted on: 2007-08-03 |
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| Kissin was a bit too young at the time for this concerto; that said, his tone is ravishing (slightly metallic on this particluar piano, but that's in terms of bells, not anvils). Overall, the playing is technically sound, but one could question the use of pedal here and there, smearing articulation, and at times--no fault of his own-- Kissin is drowning in the swells created by Gergiev. The Etude-Tableaux are excellent; several could actually be considered signature readings of the pieces. Buy this recording for the etudes, and use the concerto for points of comparison with the likes of Cliburn, Duchable (a personal favorite), Ashkenazy and Weissenberg. |
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Young pianists should avoid Rachmaninoff No. 2
Submitted on: 2007-06-29 |
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Even keyboard supermen, if at a tender age (like 16), should avoid some repertoire that require more depth and life experience.
A typical piece of such sort is Rachmaninoff's No. 2 Piano Concerto. Don't think that it is so well known that even jazz players improvise on it that a kid could bring the music out alright.
I am not a diehard fan of Kissin, or of any pianist.
Honestly, the showmanship of young Kissin is rather inapt for this piece, demonstrating his lack of technical control, plus the fact that he and Gergiev are scarcely in sync in this recording.
I regret that people do not have the guts to say this straight out (except the only honest reviewer of March 2006). |
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mediocre C-minor
Submitted on: 2006-03-27 |
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To put this streight Kissin doesn't understand Rachmaninov's music at all. He makes mistakes high-school students at Moscow conservatoire are tought to avoid at a very early age. I don't mean that my understanding is inevitably right, tastes are different in the end.
However some pieces sound so bad, you can't help feeling sorry for the pianist. His rubatos lack elementary taste. His pedal is a disgrace and at times a disaster! In the end amazing second concerto sounds cheap and pitiful.
If you want to listen to a beautiful interpitation, get Richter's.
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