Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. #1

[Belle]

You seldom hear this work or see it in the concert hall these days, but I love it. This is the same version which my mother had on a 33rpm recording when I was a child in the late 1950s and one of the seminal pieces of music she used to introduce me to and teach me about classical music. Op. 1 No. 1 - it must have been the composer's first publication:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdIikTjGE0Q

It's very dear to me. My mother listened carefully to each movement with me, explaining each section and creating a unique narrative sound world so that it became 'programmatic'. She was a fine pianist herself and had Richter, Rubinstein, Cliburn and many others in her record collection. My father built our speaker system himself and, even then, it was terribly important to me to touch, listen, play that thing!! Let me tell you, I guarded it jealously. I can't listen to this Rachmaninov Concerto #1 now without tears forming in my eyes. It must have been the early days of 33rpm because I definitely remember 78s in the home as well, and a needle the size of a hair pin dancing and bobbing along the top of that frantically vertiginous black platter.

Just as is the case with my own four children, only one of us out of our parents' four took to this music passionately and lovingly. And for life.

[Ricordanza]

Belle, I share your affection for this piece. And I also share the same introduction to this work, via a recording (on the Monitor label) with Richter and the State Radio Orchestra of the USSR, conducted by Kurt Sanderling. The "flip" side of this LP (which I still have) is the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5, "The Egyptian," played by Richter and the Moscow Youth Orchestra, conducted by Kiril Kondrashin.

I don't recall buying this LP, so it must have been purchased by my parents.

[barney]

In another thread, Trifonov has been appearing. Rach 1 is what he played in Sydney. Did you get to that, Belle?

[Belle]

In another thread, Trifonov has been appearing. Rach 1 is what he played in Sydney. Did you get to that, Belle?

I didn't know that; the work so seldom appears in programming but how wonderful that The Triff played it. His repertoire is HUGE!!!

These days I don't go to the Opera House that much; occasionally the Recital Centre in Angel Place, that's about all. Some of my friends in our music group may have been. One friend was going originally to Argerich and said that he was disappointed with (substitute) Yuja Wang's performance. No doubt we'll discuss the details of that over coffee and lunch soon! I'll report back what he says about her performance, but he emailed yesterday that "this didn't seem to be her repertoire". Beethoven #1, I think he said it was.

I just found this performance of the Rachmaninov #1 played by Byron Janis; now, there's a name you don't hear much these days. He's married to Maria Cooper (daughter of Gary Cooper): and it's a thrilling account!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjat0fK9nfM

It's the same conductor as for the Richter version!! (There's a lovely picture of Byron Janis with Horowitz on the stills that accompany this performance on U-Tube.)