This an unusual but very exciting performance of the first sonata. Especially as regards tone color and the structure which he makes really climactic. To me the style is less Rachmaninoff and more Pletnev but whatever. For those interested Pletnev makes a cut in the third movement, skipping bars 309-310, then cutting from 313 to 361. In my opinion it works, because Rachmaninoff wrote the theme at 361 to be grander than the first time we heard it; skipping the frenetic material beforehand adds to that effect I feel. Thanks for posting this illegal content 😅
Hey guys ... does one only on the internet meet others that LOVE this piece of music? And even performed by Mr. Pletnev? Hey it is for me still number one piece of all classical pieces, damn it's so intense! I love that I can find on YT the others that equally love this ... where elsewhere you can talk about this piece? Omg again, it's so good ... and Pletnev is such a wonderful pianist that I have no words. Interesting ending though, never heard it like that.
I am shocked and dismayed at the poor sound and video quality on this extremely difficult and incredibly important piece of music for Pletnev and rachmaninoffs sake as well as You tube -this must be a personal homemade unauthorized recording which as you know should never be allowed under copy right ,It upsets me to know people go out there with their personal recording devices and do things like this
This is the only performance of Oriental Sketch, other than the composer's, that actually communicates understanding that the inspiration for this piece is the sound of the passenger railroad train. Could you share with us the date and locale of this recital? Is there more than the Prelude, Oriental Sketch and Sonata?
you have to listen to Pletnev in concert to really feel the way he plays every single note with such intensity that the music flows directly into your heart.
I guess Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a method to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot my account password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me
He is ... his own equal, I should say. Only when you come to the point you are able to perform like this, then you can bring your own ideas like he did. Yes, he's amazing.
I'm speechless. his playing of the second movement cannot be described. I simply have to listen to it over and over again. I can feel that Rachmaninov's inner musical world is so close to his soul... now I wish so much to hear him play this sonata one day..
304712 L absolutely agree! 10 minutes that leave the listener speechless with a sort of inner calm. Never heard the last few pages with intricate trills executed this way. Usually the trills dominate and are too loud- and the climax of the movement comes off as a bit too 'showy'. Here, Maestro Pletnev reveals the main melodic line as cries of anguish rather than the usual generalised over Rachmaninoved - Rachmaninoff. Brilliant interpretation, and very moving.
Does anyone who's familiar with the sonata notice the substantial cut ( almost 2 and a half pages ) he makes in the finale from 37:20 onwards? Wouldn't have noticed it- only that I'm learning this very Sonata at the moment! Does it work? Make the movement more convincing? Thoughts anyone?
Rachmaninov himself made cuts to this piece because of complaints from the composers he showed it to about its length. Sadly, we don't have the original version and are stuck with the result of typically corrosive criticism. If I were to have a time machine I'd tell him one thing: "Never ask for anyone's opinion about your music, ever. If they give it and it's not completely favorable, ignore it." Personally, I think the 3rd movement becomes a bit tedious but I admit that I have a preference against third/final movements of pieces in general. It is rare that I like them much. For instance, I can completely live without every movement of the Prokofiev 2nd concerto following the first and, like Sofronitsky, am not keen on the second movement of the 2nd Scriabin sonata. There are exceptions, though, like Scriabin's practically faultless concerto which has a thoroughly satisfying final movement. I think performers should have tremendous latitude in terms of what movements they choose to play and how they play them. Performance is a living art. That is much different, though, than convincing a composer to butcher his work because you don't understand it, have inferior creativity, or lack patience.
He cuts from bar 313 to 361. IMO it works because Rachmaninoff wrote the theme at 361 to be grander than the first time (m. 137) and so to arrive at it more climatically really works. The frenetic material in between can take away from that power. That said I would personally perform it without cuts. But I think his decision makes good artistic sense