IMHO, next to Rachmaninoff himself, Lazar Berman is the greatest interpreter of Rachmaninoff's piano music. It's just this simple. Thanks for this upload Gullivior, and the photos are fine too.
Absolutely has been my favorite for decades. As for younger (and living) pianists, I can't stop watching Alexander Malofeev... Rachmaninoff seems to grow from his core.
You might also enjoy Richter, here, live in 1969: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oEFhy1h6Enc.html or in one of his other performances of this piece that can be found on RU-vid. [Hungary, live, 1969: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CcXQf4OAW7A.html] [ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RICGqS2UtmU.html - with the score, I think it's the studio version?]
It is not! Lazar Berman was a boring alwdgehammer! More powerful louder than boring sledgehammer Lazar Berman=Mikhail Pletnev!! The 3rd Loudest was Erwin Nyiregyhazi!)
Tubby, congested and generally rhythmically inert??-- Are we listening to the same performances? These interpretations rank amongst the most free flowing and sensitively paced that I know off. Maybe there a few that I don't know, but I don't know many better!
