Hot New Pianists

[Brian]

From the samples I heard, I wasn't very impressed.     

Hm, that's unfortunate, maybe you can recommend someone who was impressed, a recording that will really leave them impressed? 

[George]

Hm, that's unfortunate, maybe you can recommend someone who was impressed, a recording that will really leave them impressed? 

For this requirement, I can only recommend an incomplete set, Richter on Regis and even better, but even more incomplete on the DG "In Memoriam" 2CD Set. 

For a complete set, but not at Richter's level, Anievas on EMI.

I also like Ashkenazy on Decca Legends and Alexeev on Virgin.

[sidoze]

For a complete set, but not at Richter's level, Anievas on EMI.

never really got my pulse racing. Would much rather take mixed recordings by Richter, Gilels, Sokolov, Sofronitsky, Feinberg, Flier, Weissenberg, Ashkenazy and others over Alexeev and Anievas any day.

[BorisG]

never really got my pulse racing. Would much rather take mixed recordings by Richter, Gilels, Sokolov, Sofronitsky, Feinberg, Flier, Weissenberg, Ashkenazy and others over Alexeev and Anievas any day.

I am not familiar with Feinberg, Flier, or Anievas recordings, but I washed my hands of anything Alexeev a long time ago.

[orbital]

Sokolov's op23 set is hard to beat. Does he have any op32 as well?

[sidoze]

AFAIK Feinberg recorded only one, 23/1, but I mentioned it as it's one of the most impressive Rachmaninoff recordings I've ever heard. Flier recorded a few. Two of them will be on APR's new CD coming out next month. The Anievas is consistently good, I just don't see a reason to choose it when there are so many other excellent if incomplete recordings around (by pianists without cult-inspiring names too). After all, unlike with the Chopin Preludes there doesn't seem to be an inherent reason to record all of these pieces.

Sokolov's op23 set is hard to beat. Does he have any op32 as well?

No I don't think so. He's touring with Chopin's op. 28 now

[orbital]

No I don't think so. He's touring with Chopin's op. 28 now

Yes, I can't wait for someone to record it.

[sidoze]

Did you hear his studio-cum-live recording on CD? Not one of my favourite Sokolov performances but I never forget it for that huge sound in the 24th prelude 

[Drasko]

never really got my pulse racing. Would much rather take mixed recordings by Richter, Gilels, Sokolov, Sofronitsky, Feinberg, Flier, Weissenberg, Ashkenazy and others over Alexeev and Anievas any day.

add Kocsis to that list

AFAIK Feinberg recorded only one, 23/1

23/1, 3, 7 & 8

[Holden]

My first set of the Rach Preludes was the Ashkenazy and then ...... I heard Richter and couldn't bear to listen to VA again. Now the VA is very good but Slava is in a class of his own. However, I wanted a complete set (Richter doesn't play a couple of my favourites) and I just happened to see one by Sergio Fiorentino. After a quick audition at the store I decided to buy and am quite happy. Yes, they still don't compare with Richter but many of them come very close. What possibly makes this special is that Fiorentino recorded these all in one day and in a number of cases in one take. While this didn't work for Op23/5 it did for many others.

[sidoze]

23/1, 3, 7 & 8

where are they available? can you upload 3/7/8 please?

[sidoze]

the guys over at RMCR often mention Yara Bernette's recording of the Rachmaninoff Preludes as their favourite. It's never been transferred from a DG LP and I haven't heard it, but I am listening to her Chopin Sonata 3 now and it is exceptionally stylish, clearly a very sensitive and talented pianist. Wouldn't surprise me at all if her recording were one of the first choices for a set of these pieces.

[Drasko]

where are they available? can you upload 3/7/8 please?

Sure, no problem. There is also Eude-tableau 39/9, want that too?

[sidoze]

ha, nevermind, I have that CD. The 23/1 is so impressive that I forgot about the rest

[orbital]

Did you hear his studio-cum-live recording on CD? Not one of my favourite Sokolov performances but I never forget it for that huge sound in the 24th prelude 

I don't like that performance much either. I have not listened to it for quite a while, I'll check out that prelude on my way home.
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re Rachmaninov: And we are forgetting the man himself  I still have to hear that No5 that George was raving about.

[Scott]

Has Paul Lewis been mentioned? I've been following his Beethoven sonata cycle

He completed his complete traversal of the Beethoven sonatas in recital here at Middlebury College this past season  and I can attest that he is the real deal. I look for him to have a long and rewarding career.

[orbital]

I don't like that performance much either. I have not listened to it for quite a while, I'll check out that prelude on my way home.

Now that I've refreshed my  memory. I don't agree with what he does in the second down-run in the end. It is a very powerful prelude and that pianissimo take does nothing else but weakens it. That final note is really something though.

[sidoze]

re Rachmaninov: And we are forgetting the man himself  I still have to hear that No5 that George was raving about.

i don't remember these recordings all that well. do you mean his 23/5? I know I've heard that and it didn't leave as strong an impression as Richter's live early account on Parnassus. I remember liking his red-riding-hood etude very much though (sorry don't recall the opus nr).

That final note is really something though.

That set as a whole is dark and heavy and I imagine it'll be even heavier now (not just because of his weight either). I've heard him play Beethoven's Tempest following a 25 year gap and I thought it quite similar to the earlier recording, just more refined (more attention to sound for sure) and slightly heavier. Will be very interesting if he's reinterpreted some of the preludes. Wouldn't mind hearing him play Scriabin's op. 11 either.

[George]

I still have to hear that [Op. 23] No5 [Rachmaninov] that George was raving about.

I finally bought the CD finally and have uploaded the prelude in question as a WAV.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ce9tyt1txmo

From this CD:

[Brian]

I finally bought the CD finally and have uploaded the prelude in question as a WAV.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ce9tyt1txmo

From this CD:

What did you think of that CD? I was disappointed. Much more mechanical than, say, Artis Wodehouse's restorations of the Gershwin piano rolls ... the piano tone kind of bothered me.