Rachmaninov, pianist and conductor.
Legendary recordings 1919–1942.
Legendary recordings 1919–1942.
Ward Marston, Mark Obert-Thorn. Leading remastering engineers.
‘Rachmaninov could be gruff, tender, mordant, dazzling, confiding and so much more. This is a superb first volume in what promises to be an invaluable series.’
– Gramophone on Disc 1
‘This disc is another fine example of the luck music-lovers of today have in being able to listen to great performers from the past. To have access to the pianism of Sergei Rachmaninov is a true privilege…’
– MusicWeb International on Disc 2
‘Now we can savour and assess a bronze-like sonority that complemented a no less legendary rhythmic sharpness and an aristocratic sense of line and phrase. And on recordings dating from 1925-42 you hear playing brimming over with a bracing sentiment untouched by sentimentality.’
– Gramophone on Disc 3
‘The Liszt Rhapsody is simply stunning, replete with Rachmaninov’s own stylistically anachronistic cadenza. As Jonathan Summers observes in his quite excellent note, “his cast-iron technique is breathtaking and the three consecutive takes show its infallibility”… Rachmaninov’s pianism is utterly and undeniably compelling.’
– Gramophone on Disc 4
‘We bow down to Rachmaninov’s piano, fascinated by his phrasing, by the tender and luminous sound, by the subtle, natural rubato…, by the dynamics that will find incredibly dense pianissimos in the lower register of the keyboard…, by the haughty nobility of a pianist-composer who leaves a legacy that is all the more moving for we have never heard it [the music] reissued so well.’
– Diapason on Disc 5
‘Two earlier recordings have a great deal more than just historical value… the pianism on both is breathtaking.’
– The Daily Telegraph (Australia) on Disc 7
‘One could hardly do better than begin [this series] with such essential performances as Sergei Rachmaninov's own recordings of his works for piano and orchestra… they remain a fascinating listen and essential for any collection… The remastering by Mark Obert-Thorn is superbly done…’
– Fanfare on Discs 8 and 9
