Rachmaninov's Birthday! & EDIT

[elleng]

EDIT:

Rachmaninoff : Piano Recital　

To appreciate his artistry today, a fascinating upload in which the producer created a compilation of Rachmaninoff recordings in recital format - a brilliant collection of phenomenal performances, all of which demonstrate his profound pianism. Always on display are a full-bodied sonority with a rich array of colours and shadings, incredible rhythmic pulse and momentum, flawless weighting of chords to bring out the 'flavour' of each chord, and gorgeous rubato.
*Note that his 1925 account of the Beethoven 32 Variations does not include all 32 Variations, despite that number being on the original record label: because he had to squeeze his performance onto one double-sided 78rpm disc with a maximum of about 4 minutes a side, he only played 24 variations after the theme.
Ⅰ. Bach
00:00 Prelude, 03:11 Gavotte, 05:57 Gigue - from Violin Partita No.3 in E major (arr.Rachmaninoff)
Ⅱ. Beethoven
07:00 32 Variations in C minor
Ⅲ. Schubert
a) 14:49 Impromptu in A-flat minor Op.90 No.4
b) 19:20 Wohin? (arr. Rachmaninoff)
Ⅳ. Chopin
Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor Op.35
(21:40 1st mov. / 27:31 2nd mov. / 32:49 3rd mov. / 38:56 4th mov.)
(Intermission)
Ⅴ. Rachmaninoff
a) 40:24 Prelude in G-flat major Op.23 No.10
b) 43:38 Moment Musical in E-flat minor Op.16 No.2
c) 46:30 Oriental Sketch
Ⅵ. Tchaikovsky
48:15 Troika Op.37 No.11
Ⅶ. Borodin
52:12 Scherzo in A-flat major
Ⅷ. Scriabin
55:11 Prelude in F-sharp minor Op.11 No.8
Ⅸ. Kreisler
57:48 Liebesleid (arr. Rachmaninoff)
Ⅹ. J.Strauss Ⅱ
1:02:10 Valse Caprice 'Man lebt nur eimal' (arr. Tausig)
(Encores)
Ⅰ. Schumann
1:09:08 Der Kontrabandiste (arr. Tausig)
Ⅱ. Schubert
1:10:59 Das Wandern (arr. Liszt)
Ⅲ. Mendelssohn
1:12:39 Spinning Song
Ⅳ. Rimsky-Korsakov
1:14:21 The Flight of the Bumblebee (arr.Rachmaninoff)
Ⅴ. Rachmaninoff
1:15:32 Prelude in C sharp minor Op.3 No.2

[PJMcK]

1. Happy Birthday, Sergei

I like No. 1, too. It doesn't get as much attention as No. 2.

[elleng]

2. I like 2 + 3,

will study 1.

[PJMcK]

3. Two is his greatest, of course

One and Three are pretty good, though. Still, Two gets most of the attention.

Have a lovely weekend, elleng!

[elleng]

4. He somehow 'speaks' to me deep down,

even tho I'm not sure I have Russian heritage; am checking.

You too have a good weekend, PJ.

[usonian]

5. Yes!

So hard to play! He had enormous hands!

Prelude in E Flat (Opus 23 Number 6) might be within my reach.

The rest, I've just got to listen to.

You can legally download just about all his printed works at IMSLP, as they are off copyright.

https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Rachmaninoff,_Sergei

If you are REALLY GOOD, you can get the orchestra parts of concerti from Music Minus One, which was bought by Hal Leonard, and available there. Also from "that online store" but selection varies, and affiliates will ship you the wrong version.

MMO have shipped every audio format over time, and now are strictly download (with a magic key code in the printed score). You can download and back up the audio files, just like a cd version, but also let you adjust the tempo without altering the tone/notes online. Previously, they sent a normal speed version and a slower "practice" version on CD.

Older CD versions are still floating around.

This is cheaper than renting an orchestra, and is more patient with one's mistakes.


FWIW, Rachmaninoff recorded performances on piano rolls, so a suitable piano can reproduce his playing "live".

🎂 great genius, performer and composer.

[Mme. Defarge]

6. Listening now

to Prelude in C sharp minor.

[Mme. Defarge]

7. If my local All Classical station is anything to go by

this may be my new favorite holiday!

[elleng]

8. Sounds right!