Sergej Rachmaninov - The Piano Concertos '1976

The driving reason I recommend this DG full set – again, mainly for those who already own a few separate Concerto recordings – is that Vasary and conductor Aranovich play down the straightforward approach so often encountered, such as with the excellent Ashkenazy and Previn and most recently under Maazel with Gutierrez at the keyboard. Good as these versions are the Vasary set offers a chance to hear some real variety and unexpected ideas: Vasary clearly has looked carefully through the music and come up with a very reasoned alternative to what we almost always hear. And in addition his performance abounds in a close sparkling look at a host of often too perfunctory handled details.

Rachmaninov’s solo writing for piano can be extraordinarily introspective; in the Concertos these qualities are somewhat diffused or offset for broader aims, and more large scaled writing for such concert pieces dominates. These DG recordings focus more on those complex elements found in the individual solo works that remain in the Concertos, with Vasary playing down the literal for the specific, and pursuing the emotional connections in ways rarely encountered. Throughout Aranovich invokes a deliberate High Romanticism, with the orchestra playing at times recalling Otto Gerdes fabled full blooded Brahms Fourth, still sadly unavailable. (If you ever see it -grab it!)

There are some drawbacks to all this – the pacing can be slower than most – though not all – versions, and it would be impossible to imagine versions veering further from the composer’s own strict no-nonsense readings of the Concertos! These represent what might be called the high and mighty approach – nothing wild or imaginative, all powerful exceptional playing and unshakeable conviction. Reminds me of my dad’s generation when driving across the country – they knew where they were going and they didn’t stop or dilly-dally in the slightest. The old sound holds most back from listening. This is not to suggest the Vasary DG set is wayward – there is an undeniable certainty about it all – but these are not the tempos in these Concertos most of us are used to, and a very long way in places from the composer’s versions. (For a differing older version of a pianist much admired by the composer, one showcasing highly refined, felicitous playing, you can also look up Benno Moiseiwitsch (Given Amazon’s persnickety spelling demands – best to follow the link!)

Of all of these Concertos I like best Vasary’s playing of the 1st Concerto – his gift as a colorist lends to the music’s Byzantine splendor a sharp cut glass brilliance. This is effectively set off by the rich sonorities of the London Symphony under Aranovich, who makes an excellent and understanding partner. Unlike the recent Zimerman Chopin Concertos, where the pianist’s leadership from the keyboard created far too much sag, here the slower tempos are more secure and the symphonic architecture, a feature in all Rachmaninov’s Concertos, is inherently more tightly constructed than was the case for Chopin’s Concertos; the work holds together better when put under pressure or asked to support strong detailing. Among older performances I like the composer’s own playing – but the sound IS seventy years old!

The Rachmaninov Second Concerto is so well known as to have become a gigantic cliche – hearing it played with different inflections is therefore a refreshing pleasure. Vasary’s approach, again working as a colorist and a thoughtful musician, and not a thunderer or sentimentalist allows much of the music’s integrity to emerge out from under the mountains of gooey Kitsch it’s has been buried under. While I still lean to Gary Graffman and Bernstein here, also a budget, and including a grand version of the Paganini Variations not found in this DG Vasary set, I give a hearty thumbs up to Vasary’s intelligent performance, one filled with special attentions to the music I think the composer would have found pleasing. (And for all you Richterolics: There is also a new as yet unreviewed Cd issue of the ‘other’ 1959 version of Richter in the 2nd Concerto – hopefully with better restored sound than the version I own – check it out -

In the Rachmaninov Third Concerto there are more versions then I can count – having heard Horowitz perform this work on more than one occasion my preference on recordings for Vladimir is admittedly totally sentimental, but he does play the work quite well. The earlier versions are better, but not in stereo. A fine now budget version in remarkable sound was made by Byron Janis – As good a pairing as I know! The Vasary reading of the Rachmaninov Third isn’t in this exalted league – it doesn’t quite knock anyone for a loop – Vasary eschews banging and massive sonorities, and in a sense is not the right pianist for this Concerto. For someone made to order see Argerich - However, Vasary does bring out the music’s multiple and complicated interconnections to the other Concertos in a way few of his peers do, and I must again say how much Vasary’s magisterial sense for coloring, little commented on by others, captivates me.

In the Rachmaninov Fourth Concerto lyricism is the order of the day, and among individual recordings I remain attached to a very long ago one by Michelangeli, It comes with an equally graceful reading of Ravel’s light-hearted Concerto. Vasary’s performance in the Fourth seems more right than the mighty Third, and this makes an attractive closure on a relatively little known set.