Ashkenazy is a favorite pianist of mine, but his performance of this piece in particular is so good I almost struggle to listen to other performances. I've gotten a lot of interesting ideas from other recordings, but I come back to Ashkenazy's consistently as the one with the most compelling emotional thru-line.
Couldn't agree more. Also, his recordings of the two-piano suites and Symphonic Dances with Previn, who conducted his benchmark Prokofiev concerto cycle. Thoughtful video production, all those early photos of the life he lost.
So articulate and beautifully spoken. He has full harmonic analysis of the music before he attempts to plays it. All these top pianists study the score, its harmonic progressions and twists and turns before they embark on the execution of playing the score. It explains why Rachmaninov's music is so dark and melancholic - his life was full of sadness. This is why more often than not, i feel sorrowful, gilted, broken-hearted and ready to give up my life for some selfless or patriotic cause. This is why tears just stream down my eyes when I listen to sad and melancholic music. Beautifully interpreted and played.
Listen to Ashekanazy’s profound reflections on Music, and you hear a philosopher, someone who has been so profoundly touched by the pieces he plays, has processed them, been able to understand them and then express these feelings clearly, precisely with the just economy of words. Now, listen to Yuja Wang speak, in all her superficiality and glib, and you will understand the difference between a giant of music and an and one more piano virtuoso. Massive Ashkenazy !!!!
El tema de Corelli no es de Corelli. El músico italiano se limita a repetir nota por nota La Folía de España. que ya era popular en Europa. (Como la Romanesca). Ambas han sido objeto de variaciones. pero las de Rachmaninoff superan el concepto y crean algo distinto y conmovedor. Muy bien explicado por V. A.
The sadness Rachmaninov felt during his American life seems was very much shared by his Russian compatriots, who happened to be “stuck” far from their beloved country: Turgenev, Tchaikovsky, Bulgakov, Horowitz. Rachmaninov left Russia right after 1917 Revolution and wasn’t allowed to come back for the rest of his life. He died in the USA in 1943.
