COMPOSERS: Rachmaninov
LABELS: Decca Ovation
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 3
PERFORMER: Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano); Moscow PO/Kirill Kondrashin; LSO/Anatole Fistoulari
CATALOGUE NO: 425 047-2 ADD (1964/63)
Pre-glasnost suspense and burgeoning Romantic ardour unite in these 30-year-old performances from Vladimir Ashkenazy. The Second Concerto is memorable for blazing orchestral support from the Moscow PO under Kondrashin. Ashkenazy’s powerfully delivered Third Concerto is enthralling, although tape-hiss becomes intrusive during quieter passages. Titanic performances, none the less, and certainly worth hearing. Michael Jameson
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 3
Pre-glasnost suspense and burgeoning Romantic ardour unite in these 30-year-old performances from Vladimir Ashkenazy. The Second Concerto is memorable for blazing orchestral support from the Moscow PO under Kondrashin. Ashkenazy’s powerfully delivered Third Concerto is enthralling, although tape-hiss becomes intrusive during quieter passages. Titanic performances, none the less, and certainly worth hearing. Michael Jameson
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm