Great Pianists
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Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
RecommendedVladimir Horowitz (piano)
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Awards:
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Penguin Guide, Rosette
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Building a Library, November 2022, Also Recommended - Tchaikovsky
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A 1950s benchmark and a record that forever altered the way we hear Bach's Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould's 1955 CBS recording, elegant and exuberant, a fast-lane excursion that occasionally... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 26th March 2007
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Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto Nos. 1 & 4 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
RecommendedSergey Rachmaninov (piano)
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski
Awards:
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Building a Library, January 2003, Historic Choice
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Rachmaninov: The Edison Recordings, April 1919
Pianists - Solo Piano Recordings, Vol. 4
Sergey Rachmaninov (piano)
These archival gems are a must listen. Sergei Rachmaninov’s brilliance cuts through the constant crackle on these fledgling Edison recordings; the background fizz becomes a comfort rather than... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2017, Editor's Choice
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Schumann: Piano Quintet & Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2
RecommendedClifford Curzon (piano)
Budapest String Quartet
Awards:
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Building a Library, April 2008, Budget Choice
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Emil Gilels: Early Recordings Volume 3
All tracks recorded in the USSR, 1935-1955
Emil Gilels (piano)
Outstanding early Gilels, with some superb Liszt including his legendary Figaro Fantasy from 1935. The Scarlatti Sonatas may not stand the test of time so well, but this is a must. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, September 2012, Re-issue of the Month
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Exceptional transfers of justly famous performances Rachmaninov brings this music vividly to life with a unique blend of rubato, unsentimentality, solidity of line and virtuosity. —
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Awards:
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Building a Library, March 2010, First Choice (Scherzo 4)
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Wonders galore in Rachmaninov's playing, beyond its obvious historical importance. Cast-iron technique, proper old-school sense of line and tone colour, and an incomparable rubato. —
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Moiseiwitsch was a virtuoso in the most aristocratic sense, incomparably fleet and vivacious in the Pathétique's Allegro di molto con brio, coolly without falseness or special pleading in the... —
