Idil Biret - Rachmaninov: Piano Transcriptions and Arrangements (1998)

Rachmaninov was not only a brilliant pianist but also a composer, like Franz Liszt in an earlier century. They both demonstrated their talents in these areas by taking well known pieces by other composers and arranging them for concert performance on the piano. On this Naxos CD, Turkish pianist Idil Biret plays a dozen of these pieces that were worked on by Rachmaninov. One of the pieces is Liszt's own famous Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in c sharp minor, with the addition of a cadenza by Rachmaninov. Also featured here are the Schubert song Wohin from the song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin, the Scherzo from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, and two piano pieces by his friend, the Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler whom Rachmaninov partnered on many concert performances. There are also three short pieces by Rachmaninov himself - two songs and an extract from his opera Aleko.