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Bernd Glemser, Antoni Wit - Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1998)

Bernd Glemser, Antoni Wit - Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1998)
  • Title: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
  • Year Of Release: 1998
  • Label: Naxos
  • Genre: Classical
  • Quality: FLAC (image+.cue,log,scans)
  • Total Time: 01:18:44
  • Total Size: 291 Mb
  • WebSite:
Tracklist:

Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1
1. I. Vivace 00:13:06
2. II. Andante 00:06:22
3. III. Allegro vivace - Andante ma non troppo - Tempo primo 00:08:11
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40
4. I. Allegro vivace 00:10:14
5. II. Largo 00:07:01
6. III. Allegro vivace 00:09:35
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
7. Introduction 00:00:08
8. Variation 1 00:00:20
9. Theme 00:00:20
10. Variation 2 00:00:19
11. Variation 3 00:00:27
12. Variation 4 00:00:28
13. Variation 5 00:00:30
14. Variation 6 00:01:08
15. Variation 7 00:01:13
16. Variation 8 00:00:35
17. Variation 9 00:00:32
18. Variation 10 00:00:54
19. Variation 11 00:01:24
20. Variation 12 00:01:27
21. Variation 13 00:00:28
22. Variation 14 00:00:43
23. Variation 15 00:01:10
24. Variation 16 00:01:56
25. Variation 17 00:01:57
26. Variation 18 00:02:44
27. Variation 19 00:00:34
28. Variation 20 00:00:37
29. Variation 21 00:00:27
30. Variation 22 00:01:47
31. Variation 23 00:00:50
32. Variation 24 00:01:17

Performers:
Bernd Glemser (piano)
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Antoni Wit (conductor)

This Naxos CD was released in 1998 and features 1995 recordings of Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 with the considerable bonus of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43. As is often the case with Naxos orchestral recordings of this vintage, the sound is a little distant but opens up to reveal more than adequate engineering at higher volume levels.

The soloist, Bernd Glemser is a German born in 1962, so he was quite young when this recording was made. Mr Glemser has been lucky enough to develop his career, unlike many pianists who appeared during the 1980s early-1990s CD boom. He is a fine artist, with some excellent Schumann on Naxos Schumann - Piano Works and some very well-received recent releases on the German Oehms label Prelude & Fugue. I think he plays all three of these lovely Rachmaninov works beautifully.

Piano Concertos 1 & 4 are perhaps less well-known than 2 & 3; both were heavily revised by the composer with excellent results. Indeed, of their time, only Rachmaninov's own pair of middle piano concertos outdo them. Mr Glemser is provided with sterling support by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit, who has made many highly successful CDs for Naxos in recent years.

The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a brilliant showcase for a pianist and here Mr Glemser is not quite up to scratch as he seems a bit vague compared to, say, Vladimir Ashkenazy with Haitink Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.1. Having said that, it's still a fine performance.

As is often the case, this inexpensive Naxos disc is well-worth having as it contains generally excellent performances of these pieces. Recommended.





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