Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
What a story there is behind this recording! When Van Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War with his playing of this concerto, it created an international sensation. The recording followed immediately thereafter, and Cliburn was launched on an international career of unprecedented celebrity for a classical musician. Perhaps the attention was too much, too soon, given his subsequent burn-out and retirement from public life. Fortunately, we have these unique recordings to document what was, by all accounts, a genuine phenomenon. This is the disc "heard 'round the world." --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: III. Allegro scherzando
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 43: 18th Variation
Symphony No. 2 In E Minor, Op. 27: III. Adagio
Prelude In G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5
Prelude In G-Sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2
Cello Sonata In G Minor, Op. 19: II. Allegro scherzando
Etude-tableau In D Major, Op. 39, No. 9
Six Pieces, Op. 11: Scherzo
Six Pieces, Op. 11: Slava
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: III. Lento assai

Customer Reviews:

Yes.......2003-04-03

This is a marvelous collection. There were a few pieces I wish that it would include, such as the rest of his Piano Concerto No.2, or perhaps The Rock, but the fact that the performances are generally great and the recording quality is near-perfect makes up for that.

I would recommend this to anyone who is just starting to become interested in the works of Sergei Rachmaninov.

A decent introduction to the music of Rachmaninoff.......2001-08-12

Sergi Rachmaninoff was the last of the great Romantic composers, especially since the Romantic period had ended for European artists when he was at his height. Although a composer and a conductor, Rachmaninoff was also a virtuoso pianist, which explains why his best compositions feature the piano, either in solo work or with an orchestra. His "Prelude in C-Sharp Minor," which he wrote when he was 20, made him famous throughout the world. This collection also includes several other preludes, "Vocalise," and the famous 18th Variation (Andnate cantible) from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. My only serious complaint about this collection as an introduction to Rachmaninoff is that it only has one movement from his Second Piano Concerto and I have other CDs that include the entire work, which I thing is a good idea.

Great Collection of "Hits".......2000-06-22

This is actually not a bad collection of Greatest Hits. Usually the problem with collections like these is that they have bad recordings and not very good performances but some of these ones are actually okay, and it features performances by Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax among others. In general these are the works of art you think of when you think of Rachmaninoff and so these pieces are a perfect representation of his style.

One of the best CD I own.......1999-12-30

This is one of the best I own. The music is so great, hard to explain...so moving, especially the first track. It reminds me of Russia a lot. I listen to it everyday while driving to work. I highly recommend it.

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

The best known First Tchaikovsky
This is probably as good as the recording can get.
Excellent restoration of this vintage recording

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 [Hybrid SACD]
Sergey Rachmaninov , Kiril Kondrashin , Fritz Reiner , and Van Cliburn
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002TKFRC
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso - RCA Symphony Orchestra
Andantino Simplice - RCA Symphony Orchestra
Allegro Con Fuoco - RCA Symphony Orchestra
Moderato; Allegro - Fritz Reiner
Adagio Sostenuto - Fritz Reiner
Allegro Scherzando - Fritz Reiner

Customer Reviews:

The best known First Tchaikovsky.......2007-02-09

Enough was said about van Cliburn's legendary performance at Tchaikovsky's competition. The Kondrashin's interpretation is sublime.
I'd like however to comment on Rachmaninoff's second. I'm a big fan of it and even try to play it. And listening how Reiner destroys it with one sway of conductor's baton is unbearable. It just physically hurts! He destroys, for instance, the finale of the first movement by making it excessively emotionless and rhytmic. Ok, all we know how easy it's to become sentimental while playing Rachmaninoff. Rhythm must be esteemed. But not at the expense of expressiveness!
The finale of the third movement is also spoiled. We can't hear a pianist over the orchestra's hauling! If you want to listen to a good performance, by Richter.

This is probably as good as the recording can get........2004-11-08

The sound of this SACD is less impressive than the other Living Stereo DSD remasters I have heard - this is almost certainly due to the fact that the original tapes were not as well done as the others, and not because of poor mastering. In fact, this is probably as good as the sound of this recording can get. It certainly bests any of the regular CD editions that have been produced over the years, and lets not even talk about my ancient mouldering LP!
Preserving the original three channel recording is a grand thing, and defineatly adds to the presentation - the only thing is that YOU have to have a sufficiently large listening room to fully appreciate it (to allow the three speakers to have enough distance between each other to get the most out of it). Without the proper space, the spatial imaging will to some degree be lost.
Regardless of this though, if this recording is important to you, then this is the edition to have beyond a doubt.

As for the performances, they are classics and you certainly can't go wrong with them - though I wouldn't say they are the 'best' for either of the respective pieces. For the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto N.2, my personal favourite is Reiner's other earlier (1956) recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra but featuring Artur Rubinstein as the soloist. Now there is a performance that is truly exciting, that really plays out the piece's romantic core to the fullest - both orchestra and soloist producing a rich passionate sound, bringing out the innate russianness of the music, truly bringing alive its inner meaning.

Excellent restoration of this vintage recording.......2004-09-19

I literally grew up on this recording (the Cliburn Tchaikovsky). I have easily played it over a 100 times if not closer to 200. I am very happy to report the SACD version is the best that will ever be available for this recording. The original master tapes were 3 channel, so that is how it is presented here...left, center, right...but no surrounds. This anchors the piano in the middle (the piano is not all from the center however). This release is much better than the previous CD release. Having that center channel to anchor the piano makes a big difference. There is hardly any tape hiss either. My only reason for 4 stars instead of 5, is because this is a 1958 recording, the low end is not quite there....but the quality of the piano for this year is quite good.

Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2

Average customer rating:

Magnifico!
Excellent re-mastering
An all-time classic!
The standard
One of classical music's best back in SACD

Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Works

ASIN: B000003EUG
Release Date: 1993-01-12

Tracks:

Concerto 1 - Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso
Concerto 1 - Andantino Simplice
Concerto 1 - Allegro Con Fuoco
Concerto 2 - Moderato; Allegro
Concerto 2 - Adagio Sostenuto
Concerto 2 - Allegro Scherzando

Amazon.com essential recording

What a story there is behind this recording! When Van Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War with his playing of this concerto, it created an international sensation. The recording followed immediately thereafter, and Cliburn was launched on an international career of unprecedented celebrity for a classical musician. Perhaps the attention was too much, too soon, given his subsequent burn-out and retirement from public life. Fortunately, we have these unique recordings to document what was, by all accounts, a genuine phenomenon. This is the disc "heard 'round the world." --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Magnifico!.......2007-06-08

The piece with which the 18 year old Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow when he was 18. The Cold War was stood on its head for a few magnificent moments and they are beautifully reproduced right here. The Rachmaninov also provides passion equal to Mr. Van Cliburn's talent. A beautiful recording.

Excellent re-mastering.......2007-02-24

I ordered this to replace an old LP record that will no longer play. I was extreemly pleased to hear the quality of the cd. No one plays this concerto like Van Cliburn!

An all-time classic!.......2006-09-22

Get it for the coupling of two piano masterpieces! Get it for the performance by a legend! Get it for its historical significance! But, for Pete's sake, get it!

This is one of those classical recordings you just cannot do without. And why on earth would you want to?

The standard.......2006-09-13

I wanted a good piano recording and after a lot of web searching and reading reviews, I decided on this Van Cliburn recording. What sold me was that it was Van Cliburn at his prime, with this recording done only days after winning the Tchaikovsky competition. I am very satisfied with the CD as a whole.

The Tchaikovsky 1 is not bad except for the orchestra. Van Cliburn and the orchestra seem to be performing at two different levels, with Van Cliburn's performance being the superior of the two. I have to wonder if this was too hastily put together, an effort to quickly market the unexpected American Tchiakovsky champion. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic performance just for the piano part.

The Rach 2 is amazing. Flawless piano playing, great orchestration, amazing recording quality especially when I consider the age of the recording. I love the opening passage in the first movement, several chords that are similar in style to the famous `Bells of Moscow' and then BANG! Off to the races. I liked how the stringed bass of the orchestra reinforces the bass notes of the piano part. I like the Russian folk dance that appears at about 6:48 into the 4th track. I also loved the lyrical line coming from the horn at about 8:25 in the same track. Alan Kayes writes on the inside of the CD cover "the most arresting thing about (Van Cliburn's) playing is his mastery of ... the tasteful and assured use of rubato ..... the delicacy in executing pianissimos, the sure sense of musical phraseology, the feeling for restraint as well as climax, and all the remaining elements of musical sensitivity that go to make up a superb keyboard artist". That sums it up for me. The standard of this recording is extremely high. I wonder if anyone could match it, let alone beat it. The Rach 2 alone made it well worth the money to buy this CD.

One of classical music's best back in SACD.......2006-04-07

Van Cliburn's famous rendering of the Tchaikovsky concerto, recorded just days after the tall Texan won Moscow's Tchaikovsky competition in 1958, has been one of classical music's most famous and endearing recordings since the day it first appeared on vinyl.

Not only is the performance in the vein of 20th century masters like Joseph Hoffman, it did much during a tense time in US-Soviet relations to relax tensions caused by the space race and arms race. The duo of Cliburn and Kiril Kondrashin showed the two superpowers could work together at one thing, at least.

The mixture of virtuosity and poetry is what sets this recording apart from anything that's been recorded since 1958. Pianists simply don't play like this any longer, especially virtuosos recording in the digital era. This recording has to be heard to understand the difference between the grand style of the 19th and 20th centuries and the keyboard style performed today.

I was a bit disappointed when I played this on my 5.1 system and it only played in stereo, especially since the booklet indicates it is a three channel recording. These are the inconsistencies of the early period of multichannel recordings, I've learned. One takes a chance every time one buys an SACD recording that it will merely be stereo.

Still, the sound is a magnificent upgrade from the original stereo, with much greater presence and definition in the sound field. Linked together with the magnificent artistry of the soloist and his accompanists, this remains among the the most treasurable piano recordings of the 20th century and probably is still the best recording available -- and now one of the best sounding recordings available -- of the Tchaikovsky.

For aboput $10 most places, this is a remarkable value that cannot be topped.

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1: Rachmaninoff: Solo Piano Works [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

FINE PERFORMANCE!!!
Horrible Sound
Brilliant!!!!
A fine performance, but surprisingly middle-of-the-road
Splendid Pianism Sabotaged by Lousy Sound

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1: Rachmaninoff: Solo Piano Works [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Arcadi Volodos Live at Carnegie Hall
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Volodos Plays Liszt

ASIN: B0000TG9TM
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso
II. Andantino
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Prelude In G-Flat Major, Op.23 No.10
Moment Musical In E-Flat Minor, Op.16 No.2
Daisies, Op.38 No.3
Prelude In G Major, Op.32 No.5
Oriental Sketch
Melodie In E Major, Op.3 No.3
Concert Paraphrase On Polka Italienne

Amazon.com

Here the big-toned Arcadi Volodos takes on one of the most familiar masterpieces of the piano repertoire, the Tchaikovsky First. It's a piece that is so familiar we tend not to listen to it very carefully, but Volodos finds subtleties and emphasizes interesting ideas. The expected power is there--the opening chords could knock you over--but he's wonderfully insightful in the softer passages and the middle movement is ethereal in the extreme; he also finds a certain pointillistic lyricism in the finale before he returns to the potency of his opening statement. The six Rachmaninov solos show varied sides of both the composer and Volodos: Mélodie is as peaceful as Volodos' own arrangement of the Polka italienne is wild--it fairly bursts out of the speakers. The Tchaikovsky was recorded live and the forward sound is a bit aggressive but exciting; Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic are as impressive as the pianist. Recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

FINE PERFORMANCE!!!.......2007-03-21

Rubinstein, Horowitz, Van Cliburn, Gilels, Richter, y en este caso Volodos, otra interpretacion mas de uno de los conciertos mas populares del repertorio. Hay muchisimas y bellas aproximaciones al concierto del compositor ruso, y esta, de la mano de Ozawa y la Filarmonica de Berlin, no se queda atras. Quizas el tiempo ligeramente mas rapido de lo acostumbrado, quizas no es el mejor SACD en el mercado, pero su escucha no deja de ser altamente placentera. Recomendable.

Horrible Sound.......2007-02-17

I agree with the other reviewer who finds this recording to be horribly recorded. I agree completely -- it is THE worst SACD I've ever heard. Muddy, lacking in air and treble, with a completely muffled sound. Which makes no sense, because SACD's most touted quality is its ability to convey open, clear, and "alive" sound. I don't understand how any of the artists/engineers involved in this project could have allowed this to be released.

Brilliant!!!!.......2007-01-23

Make no mistake about it; this is a brilliant and superb pianist! During the first movement of the concerto, around 11 minutes (and some seconds in), it sounds like there are two pianist playing at once. Totally unexpected, brilliant phrasing of this well known piece by P. Tchaikovsky. A simple and complete joy to listen to. The symphony sounds marvelous; and, together with A.Volodos, this is a beautiful performance of Tchaikovsky's 1st. The last track on the CD again displays A.Volodos's ability to phrase and compose music with such beauty, ease, and simplicity (Rachmaninoff-Volodos). This recording displays performances well beyond a 5 star rating. Volodos is an incredibly sophisticated artist/composer who seems completely fluent in the language of music. Bravo!!!!!

A fine performance, but surprisingly middle-of-the-road.......2006-01-30

What made Arkady Volodos so special when he first burst upon the scene was his combination of world-class virtuosity and acute musicality. He could negotiate finger-crippling showstoppers like the Horowitz arrangement of Carmen or the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2 with such ease and fluidity that only Kissin matches him among younger pianists and perhaps only Pollini among odler ones, although Pollini doesn't stoop to performing showpieces.

I expected Volodos to attack the Tchaikovsky First with great elan and fire-breathing technique, which he does, but I also wanted personality and new ideas. Lang Lang came up with both, and that's lacking here. This is a middl-eof-the-road interpretation that can't stand up to, say, Argerich or Horowitz himself. Volodos seems to want to bring this concerto back into the range of serious music, and frankly, it's a bit late for that. Ozawa leads a routine accompaniment.

The SACD sonics, as heard in two-channel CD, have impact but are somewhat cramped and congested in tuttis--not remotely the disaster suggested by the audiophile reviewer below, yet far from impressive. The best sound is found in the studio versions of mostly lightweight Rachmaninov fillers, especialy the flashy Polka italienne psraphrase concocted by Volodos--here, the piano comes across with more power than in the concerto, but I wouldn't say that there's a sonic revolution going on with this hybrid CD. Sony has done just as well for almost a decade with their normal 24-bit processing.

Splendid Pianism Sabotaged by Lousy Sound .......2004-09-29

Arcadi Volodos has everything it takes to deliver a stunning performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto, and this could have been it, but unfortunately it's not, through no fault of Volodos. This CD makes me angry--not at Volodos, who acquits himself admirably, but at Sony. If a Grammy were awarded for worst-engineered classical CD of the year, this one would be a contender: it has the worst orchestral sound I have heard from a major classical label in years. And it's all the harder to understand because Volodos's superb Rachmaninoff Third was also a live performance (June 1999) recording with the Berlin Philharmonic in the Berlin Philharmonie, just like this one (June 2002), also on Sony, and it certainly isn't afflicted with the engineering problems of this CD. (Different engineering teams recorded the two concertos.) I wonder if there is something about Sony's hybrid CD/SACD process that caused the problems (the far-better-sounding Rachmaninoff Third is not a hybrid CD/SACD disc like this one). (Let me stipulate that I'm listening on a conventional two-channel stereo CD system, not SACD, although my system is a reference-quality one. Let me also add that I am an audiophile, and that those who are indifferent to the quality of recorded sound can discount much of this review.)

Whatever the reason, the orchestral sound here is conspicuously bad. The in-house amazon.com reviewer described it euphemistically: "The forward sound is aggressive but exciting." In fact it's a lot worse than that: "hot," harsh, thick, muddy, and congested, with poor clarity and resolution of detail, with little sense of space and separation across a stereo soundstage (it seems to be clotted centerstage), and when the orchestra gets loud, the sound gets nasty, with a hard, harsh, ugly glare. We sense we're in trouble from the very beginning, with a loud opening orchestral tutti that made me wince (although the piano sounds fine). The stringed instruments have that strung-with-steel-wires hardness and metallic edge. I'm surprised Sony would release a new CD as poorly engineered as this one is. I have no fault to find with Volodos, a pianist I admire; his playing is as fluent and expressive as one could wish. (I posted a rave review of his Rachmaninoff Third.) But for me this disc is done in by the lousy sound; I can't listen to it with pleasure, and there is just no excuse for a modern piano concerto recording to sound like this. If you care about the quality of recorded orchestral sound, I'm afraid this CD is one to avoid.

As with his Rachmaninoff Third, this CD is filled out with six short pieces by Rachmaninoff, and as with that CD, these pieces are pleasant fillers of no great weight which Volodos plays handsomely. (Also as with the Rachmaninoff Third, these pieces are studio recordings and sound fine.) The real treat, however, is the seventh short piece, Volodos's own "concert paraphrase" of Rachmaninoff's Polka italienne. This one is great fun, a rip-roaring Horowitz-style virtuoso transcription which runs the gamut from fleet-fingered delicate filigree to thunder. Volodos sounds like he's having a wonderful time playing it. He is a notable transcriber as well as player of transcriptions, and anyone who liked his spectacular debut Sony CD of transcriptions is sure to enjoy this track.

There are other, nonmusical, more minor annoyances. This is the first classical CD I've ever seen that has no timings anywhere for its various tracks (not in the booklet, not on the backside of the case). Was this just a careless oversight? The total playing time, which is provided, is 54:27, short measure by today's standards, despite the makeweights. The liner notes are of the gushing, self-serving, occasionally silly kind. (Here's a sample: "Volodos is a powerhouse--a veritable one-man orchestra himself. The sheer sonority he rings [sic] from the piano is so visceral that you can feel it as well as hear it in this recording. It resonates through the body like thunder." Hmmm.) Finally, someone at Sony had the brainchild of photographing Volodos standing in an empty, abandoned warehouse, with light coming in through the dirty, streaked, broken windows. These dirty, streaked, broken windows are then used as the recurring visual motif throughout the case and booklet. There are only two problems with this choice of artwork: first, it's unappealing and ugly; second, it has nothing to do with Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Volodos, or the piano. Pointless, tasteless, irrelevant.

To sum up, Volodos deserves better than he gets in this shoddy, half-baked production. Caveat emptor--and poor show, Sony!

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 / Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1

Average customer rating:

Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 / Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000E6JT
Release Date: 1989-08-11

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2

Average customer rating:

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , Sergey Rachmaninov , Jorge Bolet , Charles Dutoit , and Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E3P2
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 & Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1

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Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 & Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1
Felicja Blumental
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000PG042I

Product Description

CD music