Yes, it shouldn't be played too fast, and the temptation for many pianists it to show off. For me Berman's tempo is just right and at that speed he can bring out more details, more counterpoint. I bought the record when it came out and I have yet to find a performance that has surpassed this one. "Scale and grandeur" - you have hit the nail on the head.
Yes - but why have DG shut Lazar and his piano in a small room and closed the door after seating us listeners right up against the instrument? I’d love to have experienced Berman live, in a nice big hall, and it’s a shame that almost no recording companies in this era had any interest in capturing the acoustic of the venue, contrary to their claims. Because of this they never let us hear the real sound of particular performers. The other day on RUclips I came across a vinyl recording of the Liszt sonata by a female pianist made by placing her in a decent venue, setting up a mic at a sensible distance, turning on the tape recorder and leaving her to play the entire piece without editing it. I therefore heard the pianist, the piano, and the performance (complete with tiny slips), and it was far more interesting than this recording by a much greater pianist. Record companies still do the equivalent of hanging a great painting in a windowless room, turning off the lights, positioning a bank of floodlights a couple of feet in front of the art work and letting visitors stand no further than two feet away from it. All (presumably) in an attempt present the music as truthfully as possible. But it doesn’t work - the (unedited) performance, the (true) acoustic, the sound of the performers when heard from a realistic distance are all parts of the performance. Without them the recording is dead as a do-do…
What makes this piece so compelling? It is one massive affirmation of life that always sucks me in for 5 minutes. The earth-shattering fortes are memorable and maybe this can only be pulled off on a 9ft concert grand in a hall with BIG acoustics. But really it’s the C major that is so compelling because it makes me feel as if I’m home.
Kräftige doch perfekt kontrollierte Interpretation dieses spätromantischen und technisch anspruchsvollen Klavierwerks im teilweise polyrhthmischen Tempo mit klar artikuliertem Anschlag und möglichst effektiver Dynamik. Wundervoll und atemberaubend zugleich!
Sometimes Berman's sound is like the wide flow of the Yenisei river. Rich, wide not that vituosity of Richter. He plays slowly and has still reserves, but Richter is Richter of course, a giant. I like this performance, Berman's per- formans, very much. Thanks David
@@davidhertzbergno actually… I never had that luxury! I should clarify something. I was mostly paying attention to the timbre of his chords, not just volume. I have yet to come across any piano recording that can produce such a twangy oomph that Berman creates here, like at 4:42 and 5:00. Though I suspect the location/distance of the mics, acoustics, and any other post-processing effects also have an impact on the final audio recording.
Phenomenal piece, and this interpretation is fantastic. There's a sense of scale and grandeur to it because of the slower tempo. Berman was a master.
Yes, it shouldn't be played too fast, and the temptation for many pianists it to show off. For me Berman's tempo is just right and at that speed he can bring out more details, more counterpoint. I bought the record when it came out and I have yet to find a performance that has surpassed this one. "Scale and grandeur" - you have hit the nail on the head.
Lazar Berman had the inimitable style of making creshendos last forever and with dynamics others wish for
Yes - but why have DG shut Lazar and his piano in a small room and closed the door after seating us listeners right up against the instrument? I’d love to have experienced Berman live, in a nice big hall, and it’s a shame that almost no recording companies in this era had any interest in capturing the acoustic of the venue, contrary to their claims. Because of this they never let us hear the real sound of particular performers. The other day on RUclips I came across a vinyl recording of the Liszt sonata by a female pianist made by placing her in a decent venue, setting up a mic at a sensible distance, turning on the tape recorder and leaving her to play the entire piece without editing it. I therefore heard the pianist, the piano, and the performance (complete with tiny slips), and it was far more interesting than this recording by a much greater pianist. Record companies still do the equivalent of hanging a great painting in a windowless room, turning off the lights, positioning a bank of floodlights a couple of feet in front of the art work and letting visitors stand no further than two feet away from it. All (presumably) in an attempt present the music as truthfully as possible. But it doesn’t work - the (unedited) performance, the (true) acoustic, the sound of the performers when heard from a realistic distance are all parts of the performance. Without them the recording is dead as a do-do…
What makes this piece so compelling? It is one massive affirmation of life that always sucks me in for 5 minutes. The earth-shattering fortes are memorable and maybe this can only be pulled off on a 9ft concert grand in a hall with BIG acoustics. But really it’s the C major that is so compelling because it makes me feel as if I’m home.
5:00 min. THAT means a true FFFFF at the Piano! ok?? 👍
Kräftige doch perfekt kontrollierte Interpretation dieses spätromantischen und technisch anspruchsvollen Klavierwerks im teilweise polyrhthmischen Tempo mit klar artikuliertem Anschlag und möglichst effektiver Dynamik. Wundervoll und atemberaubend zugleich!
Sometimes Berman's sound is like the wide flow of the Yenisei river.
Rich, wide not that vituosity of Richter. He plays slowly and has still reserves,
but Richter is Richter of course, a giant. I like this performance, Berman's per-
formans, very much. Thanks David
My great pleasure. I noticed that Berman's recordings were not set to the score. I love Berman's playing. To me it is the essence of Rachmaninoff.
I agree!
Once I heard him live with Liszt [Sonata]
and Beethoven [Sonatas]
@@berlinzerberus I heard him do the 12 Etudes Transcendantes and the Rach 3 with Abbado. Those were the days!
Exciting!
😊🌎🌷
Did he play a custom instrument? I have a hard time imagining someone producing a sound half as loud on a stock modern piano
You've never heard a Steinway concert grand up close?
@@davidhertzbergno actually… I never had that luxury! I should clarify something. I was mostly paying attention to the timbre of his chords, not just volume. I have yet to come across any piano recording that can produce such a twangy oomph that Berman creates here, like at 4:42 and 5:00. Though I suspect the location/distance of the mics, acoustics, and any other post-processing effects also have an impact on the final audio recording.
A bit heavy, isn't it?
no
That’s why we love it
Well, it's not supposed to be light, that's for sure.