Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Op. 18 -Weissenberg,Karajan Berlin Philharmonic (Score)
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Hello everyone! Sorry for the slight delay in posting as I have been very busy since the New Years. Here is a collosal performance of the greatest Piano Concerto ever written and Rachmoninoff’s most famous piece and the best one in my opinion. The second piano concerto has one of the most memorable melodies, beginning, climax with an insane amount of emotion packed into less than 40 minutes. Listening to this piece is a journey. And this recording, despite being modern, is literally my favourite out of everyone else’s even Rachmoninoff, due to my preferred tempo. It has the best sound quality, an amazing orchestra, and Weissenberg’s playing is so special and memorable in all movements. His rendition in the opening has a and is very powerful dynamics and thorughout the movement. The second movement is sublime; his voicing is incredible and the climax with the treble chords is played with so much thought compared to others and I love how he shines the bass notes.
The third movement is filled with the intensity that Rachmoninoff requires and brought me to tears listening. 29:19 the octaves sound stunning and it already sounds climactic. He lets off a virtuostic show in the real climax which surpasses all the other modern pianists. And lastly, the ending coda. I feel like many others you cannot hear the piano as well and the Risoluto is rushed or messy but in this case he perfects it. And tops it off with Captivating C bass chords that resonate.
Sheet Music from IMSLP and also tidbits from • Piano Concerto No. 2 i...
Big thanks to Kang Leonardo’s Attic for supplying this recording. Retrieved from
• Rachmaninov: Piano Co...
Comments re greatly appreciated and if you can recommend you’re favourite that would be great.
Thank u so much
The longest Rach 2 I’ve ever heard, but also one of the best. In my opinion, the tempo of the second movement is much too slow, but all three movements are played beautifully, both by Weissenberg and the orchestra.
I love that you make videos with the full score instead of just the two-piano reduction, because seeing the score makes it easier to notice all the brilliant details in Rachmaninoff’s orchestration. For example, at 5:21 the violas play the opening theme while the cellos and basses play the march-like theme, which foreshadows the climactic passage at 7:12, where all the strings play the opening theme while the piano plays the march-like theme. And in the infamous meno mosso passage at 30:12, while the piano is noodling away, the strings and winds are playing the third movement’s opening theme very slowly.
There are also many beautiful orchestral solos in the piece, most of them for the wind instruments, and these are always played exquisitely. Weissenberg often keeps his playing quiet so that the solo instrument can have the spotlight: for example, the wonderful oboe solo at 4:15, with the piano gently playing its countermelody. The horn solo at 8:55 is too slow for my taste, but gorgeously played. Of course, the opening of the second movement with its flute and clarinet solos (13:13), and the clarinet solo at 18:49.
Additionally, all the complex orchestral passages are tight and flawless, such as the opening of the third movement (26:49), the fugue-like passage at 31:47, and the allegro scherzando at 35:24.
Weissenberg’s playing is crystal-clear and full of color, with warm tone and huge dynamics. At 2:22, he plays the triplets with wonderful clarity, and then at 2:36 the orchestra creates a thrilling explosion. Similarly, at 3:45 the left hand triplet melody is brought out beautifully, and this clarity is maintained when the melody returns at 3:53. At 4:47 he uses interesting voicing in the left hand. The mysterious fast section of the second movement (20:18) and the cadenza that follows (21:28) are thrilling, with stunning power and tone in the chords at 21:43.
In the third movement Weissenberg is amazing. The triplet passage at 27:32, which many pianists struggle with, is astonishingly clear. At 29:19, the gradual buildup of the second theme is brilliantly done. The entire development section, and especially the intense passage at 32:11, is perfect. The small cadenzas at 27:09 and 36:56 are less rushed and more powerful than in other versions. And I agree with you, the coda (38:05) is truly outstanding: clear, powerful, and not rushed, which makes it insanely satisfying to listen to.
Thank you so much for giving us this fantastic score video! I can’t wait to see what more amazing recordings you find, especially of concertos. 😊
Such a thoughtful analysis!! Appreciate your comment very much ;)
@@Janeahmon It was my pleasure! :)
'Weissenberg often keeps his playing quiet so that the solo instrument can have the spotlight' This is probably something Glenn Gould picked up on when he wrote a little piece about this recording, admiring the chamber music quality of it, if i remember correctly. Sometimes i'm grateful for piano reductions, but in this instance seeing the orchestra is adding a new level of enjoyment and insight.
Beautiful!!!