Top 5 Favorite Rachmaninov Works

[springrite]

Breaking the rules, breaking the rules... 

OK, OK!

The Rock
Isle of the Dead
Trio Elegiaque op9
PC3
Preludes Op ... (Well, don't make me choose)

[jochanaan]

Isle of the Dead
Etudes Tableaux Opus 39
Piano Concerto #2
Symphony #3
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

[Jaakko Keskinen]

The Rock
The Miserly knight
15 Romances op.26
PC2
Trio elegiaque No. 1

[Daverz]

An odd one for me, because his central repertoire would appear to be the piano concertos, which I'm not fond of, and his solo piano music, which I'm not familiar with.  I adore the Symphony No. 2, and tend to collect any recording that promises to be good.  But I can't come up with 5 today.

Symphony No. 2
Symphonic Dances
Isle of the Dead
The Bells

[Todd]

Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op 42
Études-Tableaux, Op 33
Études-Tableaux, Op 39
Thirteen Preludes, Op 32
Ten Preludes, Op 23

[Cato]

An odd one for me, because his central repertoire would appear to be the piano concertos, which I'm not fond of, and his solo piano music, which I'm not familiar with.  I adore the Symphony No. 2, and tend to collect any recording that promises to be good.  But I can't come up with 5 today.

Symphony No. 2
Symphonic Dances
Isle of the Dead
The Bells

For your consideration:

https://www.youtube.com/v/Nzt4sUqqvLI


https://www.youtube.com/v/1q0t683xaWI

[Dee Sharp]

Piano Concerto No. 3
Symphony No. 2
Etudes-Tableaux Op.39
Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini
Isle of the Dead

[Mirror Image]

My list in no particular order:

Three Russian Songs, Op. 41
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30

I'm still content with these choices, although I do love The Isle of the Dead. I really need to explore Rachmaninov again. I've neglected him for far too long.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

An odd one for me, because his central repertoire would appear to be the piano concertos, which I'm not fond of

I had initially a problem with PCs as well, but careful studying of them led me to like them much more.

[Karl Henning]

I had initially a problem with PCs as well, but careful studying of them led me to like them much more.

Very good.

[Cato]

The Miserly Knight

YES!!!  This short opera - composed for Chaliapin - is a very neglected masterpiece!  I had an old Melodiya recording with Lev Kuznetsov and Boris Dobrin, Rozhdestvensky conducting, which I thought was excellent.

Here is a DVD of the work, also called The Covetous Knight: excellent reviews of this on Amazon.

[asin]B0009K7J5K[/asin]

[TheGSMoeller]

I'll be Debbie Downer and say I can't even create a top 5, Rach is not a composer I gravitate to. However, Symphonic Dances and Isle of the Dead have been favorites of mine for decades. I think they're spectacular. So I'll leave my 3rd-5th for anyone here who wants to recommend something I may like enough to put in there.   

1. Symphonic Dances
2. Isle of the Dead
3.
4.
5.

[North Star]

I'll be Debbie Downer and say I can't even create a top 5, Rach is not a composer I gravitate to. However, Symphonic Dances and Isle of the Dead have been favorites of mine for decades. I think they're spectacular. So I'll leave my 3rd-5th for anyone here who wants to recommend something I may like enough to put in there.   

1. Symphonic Dances
2. Isle of the Dead

Hi Greg. Have you heard All-Night Vigil for choir, The Bells, Op. 35 (a choral symphony), or the Three Russian Songs for choir and orchestra, Op. 41?

[Drasko]

All-Night Vigil
Piano Trio No.2
Piano Concerto No.3
Corelli Variations
Symphonic Dances

[Karl Henning]

I'll be Debbie Downer and say I can't even create a top 5, Rach is not a composer I gravitate to. However, Symphonic Dances and Isle of the Dead have been favorites of mine for decades. I think they're spectacular. So I'll leave my 3rd-5th for anyone here who wants to recommend something I may like enough to put in there.   

1. Symphonic Dances
2. Isle of the Dead
3.
4.
5.

Submitted for your approval:

http://www.youtube.com/v/UC-jip4cJCs

[TheGSMoeller]

Hi Greg. Have you heard All-Night Vigil for choir, The Bells, Op. 35 (a choral symphony), or the Three Russian Songs for choir and orchestra, Op. 41?

Ah, I do have the All Night Virgil on record, it is beautiful. The other two I'll go search for online and give a listen. Thanks!

Submitted for your approval:

http://www.youtube.com/v/UC-jip4cJCs

Thanks, Karl! Listening to it now. 

[Karl Henning]

Cheers, Greg!

[Madiel]

Having finally finished my first pass through Iain Burnside's song collection, I've got plans on integrating them into a wider Rachmaninov listening exercise.

I'm thinking I'll shuffle up works within each of 3 eras: opuses 1-16, opuses 17-39 (which I'll maybe find a way to subdivide), and opuses 40-45. I have most works in the 2nd and 3rd eras, a bit short on the 1st one though.

I'm mentioning this here because I might try to pick favourites from each era first, then combine! See if it changes my answers at all.

[Mirror Image]

A few nights ago I listened to the Cello Sonata, Op. 19 for the first time and was quite taken aback by the greatness of the piece. A lot of the piano writing in this work made my jaw drop. Also, Vesna (Spring), Op. 20 has become a favorite. Just wow.

[Brahmsian]

This will likely change as I continue to explore his music:

Piano Trio Elegiaque No. 1
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31
Symphony No. 2, Op. 27
Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45