Best living pianist in the world for me! Unsurpassed musicality, amazing technique, deeply analytical approach to every work, original interpretation, lack of flashy showmanship, letting simply the music speak for itself that leaves the listener to wonder, is this even possible...?!
I've heard Rach 2 countless times, and this is by far the most powerful, delicate and masterful interpretation I've ever experienced. Volodos is pure magic. Who are the two tone-deaf morons who gave this a thumbs down
Magistral, impresionante, soberbio. Un referente notable para una magna obra. Bravo. Brillante Volodos, impecable Riccardo Chailly, brutal la BBC Symphony Orchestra. Lástima que no esté en HD.
From the very beginning, it seemed to me that Mr. Volodos was not merely playing this work for an audience but playing it directly to Rachmaninov himself.
I've been watching it again and again for years now. I keep crying again and again ... for me the most moving performance (not the right word, I should better say "musical artwork") of any piano concerto of any time by any pianist. I'm spoiled to see Volodos in November in Zurich
I wish I could get a really good recording of this performance, which by the way actually took place at the Royal Albert Hall, London at 19:30 on Wednesday 3 September 1997.
A genius like Volodos may take several hundred years to find another if ever.That is why it pains me whenh his solo recitals do not include those works begging for someone like him such as: Ravels Gaspard de la nuit, or Miroirs, or the complete Rachmaninoff Preludes or Etudes Tableaux, or Corelli variations, or Liszts transcendental etudes (complete) or most of all the Horowitz arrangement of Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition.Volodos was born for this kind of music
Magnificent. After listening to him play this and the Rachmaninov Third Piano Concerto, I continue to be amazed at the articulation in the fast passages-unlike even Horowitz, every note can be clearly heard, like sparks flying off the keys.
He gets expression in even the most terrifyingly difficult passages.If only people would refuse to buy any recordings or go to any of his concerts unless he DOES play Rachmaninoff, Liszt or Ravel then there might be a slim chance of getting some commercial recordings by this genius of the kind of music he was born for.
He's in a direct state of communication with Rachmaninov. Rare indeed, but possible. This is not a mere repetition of the notes of the original composition. Obviously, Arcadi can inspire an entire orchestra into a state of rapture and the whole orchestra knows it. Reminds in a way... of how Bernstein could affect an entire orchestra. The 'secrets' powers of an aura in a high state of attunement with the Source.
Everytime I listen to Volodos' Rachmaninov it still gives me goosebumps no matter how many times I listen to it. You should go listen to Arcadi Volodos' Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2. I think it's even better than Horowitz.
It seemed to me, right from the beginning that Mr. Volodos wasn't merely playing this for the audience, he was playing this for Rachmaninov himself. You could see it on his face and in his eyes. He even spoke to Sergei at times.
I think it may be possible that with this particular piece, it might just take a man with a powerful set of hands to do this piece justice. Volodos does stuff smoothly and effortlessly that I have seen others struggle with, and understandably so. I have seen at least ten different performances of this by all kinds of people, and this is the best so far !
Chailly and all 21st century conductors to listen to t h e reference conductors who performed a n d recorded Rachmaninoff with the composer, namely Stokowski and Ormandy.......a n d the playing of Rachmaninoff's favorite orchestra, the Philadelphia
Thank you! This version no noise, great! Just unfortunately not complete. I like him playing, can you tell me which one is the best player for this ?pleas?i am working too hard for looking for the best one.Thank you!
Volodos is certainly a candidate here. From what I've heard so far, Ashkenazy also does a great job and so does Bronfman (i probably spelt that wrong). I haven't listened to too many others but those two also do a great job in my opinion.
I've been trying to find a good quality audio file for this performance but I can't find this literally anywhere else than this. I want to archive this in as good quality as possible, I don't want it to become lost media (or degraded due to compression). You mentioned a DVD? I suspect that the DVD ripping software you used back then resulted in relatively low quality re-encoding of audio, and then yet another re-encode when sending to youtube. I don't have experience ripping discs myself, but according to internet, DVDs commonly use MP2 or AC3 audio, or sometimes PCM (lossless/wav). Do you still have the DVD and is it possible to rip it with modern software in its original format and send it to me to onamynuos at gmail.com?
Oh my god skarsnik56!!! I find it ridiculous and most frightening that a human being is thinking like you do in your comment... I do hope you are making a terrible joke. Arcardi Volodos is one of the greatest pianists we have... And by the way, who the f*** is Jean Gabriel Ferlan??? He is possibly a great pianist too, but please see things in a little bit more realistic context... I have heard this concerto many many times, and no one does it better than Volodos. Not even Rach him self.
Arcadi Volodos:,,,?.. Sergei/Benno/& Volodya combined in this scintillating Finale !!! Pity the orchestra has no 'Stokie/Kondrashin' for the 'big tune' and transitions... ....ooooh, the dead faces of the player. For contrast see the Russian orchestra in the Kondrashin/Cliburn thriller also on You Tube...i n v o l v e d playing with Slavic allure!
As I have gotten older, I find that I really like Rachmaninoff - not sure if I'm supposed to, but I do. Beautiful melodies, lovely harmonies, a sense of experimentation and innnovation and just plain interesting. I'll go out on a limb and say I think he was the last really great composer. After his period of depression, the second was Rachmaninoff's way of saying 'I'm Back!!' - and boy was he ever. The piece is special and I can't imagine a better performance of it.
Volodos may well be the greatest living pianist.It is to bad that his solo piano recitals feature for the most part boring and uninteresting music and that only the last 20 minutes are tremendous.This is probably due to the critics, who prefer it that way, so if everyone falls asleep nobody will know if the reviews the next day are competent.
