I have (once again) started learning this - my third time!! The clusters, stretches and phrasing is every bit as hard as any Etude Tableau, several of which I play. Thankfully this is n the "old" style without a hint of the demonic speed favored by so many of the new players. The only version that (in my opinion) is better is Audrey Gugnin, an incredible performance or technical and artistic beauty,
@@Alex-oy6ss "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Once you surpass technique it's all a matter of preference. I am old enough to have heard many "greats" in person and that "grand" style will be my standard. Many have heard only the newer players and have a different take.
Agree, Alex, Santiago Rodriguez surpasses almost everyone on this prelude, which has balance difficulty and often leads to pounding. Lugansky is a fantastic Rachmaninoff interpreter but is just too harsh on this. Adrian Brendle also does this one well
@@jesika7869 I finally "learned" it - or as well as I can for an amateur. The hardest part for me is the descending sixths against that glorious bass. But if I don't practice daily I have to go back and retrain.
Why the negativity? The piece opens in grave, accelerates, then returns to grave. Slow and heavy is the intent. Nonetheless, just listened to Weissenberg's recording and...while the tempo is nice, the reiteration of theme just about cut out the actual theme just to have some speed. That's a sad element of the piece to miss
his technique with big vertical jumps with the forearm make possible powerfull rich chords but in many case in this particularr prelude I think that way of playijg can’t help to control the balance between the inner melodies. he prefer harmonies and not melodies, his prelude is rich and full of colors but not orchestral and complex in melodies (like other reafs like ashkenazy or horowitz). I prefer his playing in other pieces like the 3rd concert but in any case withour a doubt one of the most brilliant interpreter of rachmaninov music. most of the pianists in these piece forgot many legato in the last 2 pages, they totally miss the job thinking that they coul executr legato with the pedal but only a fee of them play those chords with the right fingering to connect the upper notes like must be played all the difficult 4th page. it’s a shame expeciallu when you saw tall pianists with big hands beacuse they can easier than other but they miss the notations.
It is strange to me that Lugansky is regarded so highly, even though he has little to no sensitivity in his touch and his tone, in contrast to his great contemporaries, such as Volodos and Babayan. Perhaps, Lugansky has other priorities, and there are some interesting ideas here: bringing out inner voices, playing mezzo forte when the main theme returns. But in the end, it sounds like he is just banging the piano. On the other hand, listening to the famous Sokolov recording of the 3rd movement of Prokofiev's 7th Sonata, where you can see Sokolov dropping his hands on the keyboard from the height of his shoulders, not one chord sounds banged or harsh. One cannot treat this music so harshly and expect it to remain as gorgeous and heartbreaking as it should be.
Which notes/chords are banged? Time stamp please...Even if it sounds distorted that’s almost certainly due to the trim or placement of the microphones in the piano. Personally, I prefer weissenberg for this and nearly all Rachmaninov but I think lugansky acquitted himself well here. Most pianists get terrified of the last pages of this piece and take a “practice” tempo claiming to have deep meaning/solemnity...bull...they are simply too scared/lazy to dedicate the extra practice to play this piece at the tempo that elicits maximum musicality.
To say about one of the greatest Rachmaninov interpreter ever without doubt that he has no sensitivity in his touch and tone?Man, you are either joke or deaf. Period.
