Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

As Andsnes observed in interview, the conductor is the one who really drives the Second Concerto, and after spacious opening chords it's over to Pappano's Berliners for opulent sweep. Andsnes... — BBC Music Magazine, October 2005 More…

Release Date: 3rd Oct 2005
Catalogue No: 4748132
Label: Warner Classics
Length: 58 minutes

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Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1

Work length25:42

Album only

Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Antonio Pappano
Recorded: 2005-06-05
Recording Venue: 5th June 2005, Philharmonie, Berlin

I. Vivace

Track length12:06

Album only

II. Andante

Track length5:46

$1.00

$1.30

III. Allegro vivace

Track length7:50

$1.00

$1.30

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Work length32:42

Album only

Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Antonio Pappano
Recorded: 2005-06-04
Recording Venue: 3-4th June 2005, Live Recording, Philharmonie, Berlin

I. Moderato

Track length10:15

Album only

II. Adagio sostenuto

Track length10:58

Album only

III. Allegro scherzando

Track length11:29

Album only

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Reviews

October 2005

As Andsnes observed in interview, the conductor is the one who really drives the Second Concerto, and after spacious opening chords it's over to Pappano's Berliners for opulent sweep. Andsnes lets intensity slacken in the development, but the return of the big tune puts us back on track. The slow movement is beautifully moulded, with plenty of now-unfashionable but ever self-indulgent string vibrato.

2010

With no shortage of fine versions of this pairing from which to choose, EMI must rely on the undoubted selling power of its Norwegian star to make this release stand out from the rest. It is certainly a worthy contender for the Top Ten when aided by the world-class Berlin Phil, a conductor who is in the Barbirolli class of adroit accompanists, superb recorded sound and a beautifully voiced piano.
With judicious tempi (though, as is now customary, slightly slower than the composer's) and a well-nigh ideal balance between piano and orchestra, instrumental detail is tellingly observed, such as the bassoon and clarinet counterpoint at the beginning of the second movement of the First Concerto and the triangle in its finale, both well integrated into the sound picture, even if there is a hint of the engineer's hand.
Nor is there anything mannered about the soloist, though some may wish he was slightly less well mannered. Andsnes here gives the lie to those who find his playing on the cool side of emotional but he is always the reliable guest who never gets drunk, no matter how much alcohol he has consumed.
The fiery section of the cadenza to the First Concerto, for example, runs out of steam in the final bars to which Byron Janis, for instance, brings a despairing vehemence.
The Second Concerto (live, as opposed to the studio First, but without any appreciable difference in acoustic and balance) is, similarly, given a Rolls-Royce reading with which only the pickiest could find fault. The last movement, though, is something special and the final appearance of its glorious second subject, greeted with a mighty timpani wallop and braying brass, is heart-stopping. The audience rightly roar their approval.

Leif Ove Andsnes applies to these two glorious works all those qualities for which his playing is renowned. It’s nothing short of stunning

Andsnes studiously avoids barnstorming on the one hand or prissiness on the other: his is an intelligent, alert and at times austere middle road, with lightning reflexes in the First and more reserved touch in the Second

Classics Today

Leif Ove Andsnes and Antonio Pappano deliver full bodied and intelligently detailed readings of Rachmaninov…Andsnes and Pappano undoubtedly are world-class contenders in a crowded market, and I hope they plan further recorded collaborations

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Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

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