Speaking of the cadenza, my favorite was an old recording with Andre Watts and Ozawa (NYPO), who combined the two cadenzas--the short one for the first part, the longer one for the second part. That recording also cuts out some parts of the second and third movements, though (I think Rachmaninov himself may have made those cuts, as he often did that to his works when he worried they were too long), which I kind of like, but others may not. I heard them play the work live at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor when I was at school in the late 60s and, have been hooked on the piece ever since. I still like Argerich/Chailly for the short cadenza, a fantastic live performance, and Ashkenazy for the longer, more brooding one.
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- 17 posts total
- 17 posts total