Man, I wish Rachmaninoff had recorded himself playing this. This is an amazing recording, but I can't even imagine how great the composer himself sounded playing this.
A truly great performance, where the music flows naturally and is allowed to breath and flourish with crystal clear precision. One of the best I’ve heard of this piece.
@@paulmayerpiano check out Lugansky's version (the most refined version imo, can be found on RU-vid with keyword Lugansky 10 Preludes op 23), Alexis Weissenberg's (unusual clear left hand arpeggio at the beginning), Erik Reisch's live performance, Kliuschko (live performance too, probably as an encore)
Because he's hidden amongst the greater number of average or just good players out there, lang lang for example, all over the Internet, so people just presume he's the one to watch, the best. But you're right, the more I listen to Richter the more I realise what music is, he is music and performs music on a different level than anyone else.
It's pretty known, among musicians, how great Richter is! I'm not sure who are people who watch those RU-vid pianists though, and why they have so many views :)
@@markfowlermusic I dont agree with you. Have u ever listemed to his version of this prelude? It was far better than this one in my opinion. The bass line sounded great:))
By adding a small quote to poetry,he is saying,I am a winner,standing tall,never neglect my sensivities,having a dream of how life could be,facing the present,I design the future...thanx for communicating::))
This piece has been dubbed "piano concerto in 4 minutes" and it's VERY hard, it took me many weeks to really memorize and play somewhat decently. For me it's one of Rachmaninoff's hardest pieces, not counting his large scale works.
Marvelous! Forgot about the abrupt little breaths that occur throughout taking us by surprise amid the tumultuous arpeggios. Fresh air to take while reveling in heroic joy. A defining performance to remember!
This is awesome, but then again, I can't think of any Rachmaninoff piece that is anything other than awesome when Richter plays it. He was a master of his art. Ashkenazy's interpretation is also worth listening to. I saw a live performance of Lang Lang's interpretation of it recently. It completely missed the mark.
thanks to this performance i can say that i actually like this piece i always knew this piece was rachmaninoff trying to make his music as big and gargantuan as he was but only in this performance was it played clear enough for me to appreciate his ideas...thank you Richter =]
This is one of those pieces that everyone loves to hear but nobody alive can play well. Thank goodness Richter recorded it. I can only imagine what it would be like to listen to this performance transcribed to a Steinway D 9 foot player piano.
I heard this piece performed only once before in a recital and was totally unfazed. It just sounded like a mishmash of notes. By contrast, this performance is a revelation. Crystal clear, yet forceful!
Heard this Prelude performed by Richter when he first came over to the U.S. It was one of about six Rachmaninoff Preludes he played as encores. I think only Horowitz topped him in audience electricity. My piano teacher at the time introduced me to this great pianist - his hand shot out forcefully like a soldier's to shake hands. Everything he played seemed so true to each composer
This is the only Rachmaninov piece I like, and I like it a lot. This is probably because B-flat is the most beautiful, regal tonality, and this piece is basically nothing (or little) besides immersing yourself in pure b-flat tonality, which on a piano is especially gorgeous and resplendent (think of Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata, or Brahms Handel Variations). Richter's performance of it is probably my favorite. Because Richter's playing is so physical, muscular, exactly what's needed in this piece: diving into the piano to tear out of it the majesty of B-flat chords (supported, of course, by its partners F7, and the others; but this is emphatically all about B-flat and its dominant).
Together with No. 5, it is my favourite piece from Op.23. Interestingly, it reminds me of some pieces from Albeniz's Iberia (especially Corpus Christi in Seville (in the interlude), and - somehow - Malaga (harmonically). Bravissimo :-)
What a pity Rachmaninoff didn't record this Prelude as he would have brought more variety of tone colour and rubato to the piece. The recordings he made of some of his Preludes especially the Prelude in G flat Op. 23/10 are achingly nostalgic and deeply moving.
I think that Rachmaninov's premonition in certain circumstances is what makes him evolve his uniqueness and status in musical expression.....anyone please discuss it with me
you know.....I'm imagining someone playing this in an old dusty wild west bar in Tombstone AZ. Upon completion an old drunk man playing Poker turns and says in a grizzled, sarcastic voice: "Well Hello Mr. Fancy Pants"
A very pure and responsive performance; however one gets the feeling that the Great Richter was at pains to avoid hitting any wrong notes, so sometimes in the really bravura passages he is less than powerful, and much more careful here (I get the idea that this was a circumspective performance akin to his latter years...similar to the elder Backhaus) - pls sample the great rendition by Michael Ponti where his bravura is exhibited so well...
I totally disagree! Composing requires a great amount of time, talent and creativity. Playing a piece requires years of improving your technical skills (of course you need to learn how to interprete a piece, too), but after all you can play with an certain level quite easily a large amount of different pieces. Having composed some pieces I can tell, that composing is much harder. Aside from genius like Mozart, it takes your hours of best creativity over months to create a satisfactory result.
Nice interpretation. Me personally I don’t like how he pauses slightly at many parts, like at end of phrases especially in the beginnning. I like Ashkenazy’s recording better, but yeah this is still amazing recording.
+capeman7500 it can be done manually. just screenshot each page of music, and in microsoft movie maker, edit it so that the pages change along with the song.
mr. Richter, i believe, uses quite the same amount of pedal Ashkenazy used in his recording of the preludes, only that Ashkenazy had the great sound quality of DECCA on his side, while Sviatoslav recorded for the Olympia label with mediocre sound quality... richter rules!
Well played and reminiscent of the greatness of Richter (his many recordings over the years prove his grand manner at the piano) however in the last analysis I think this one of the banal late recordings of his career, past the exacting sureness of his prime: I do not categorise the performance as lacking but compared to several others (some on RU-vid) this one is perhaps inferior to the rest.
Did Horowitz record this prelude... would love to hear his interpretation. BTW, Constance Keene does a great job on this prelude also. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TOD6QRkb-yg.html
