Martha Argerich Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 Reviews

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Pianoforte Concerto No.three in D minor, op.30

Media Review / Comparison

2015-01-11 — Original posting
2015-01-22 — Added larger-calibration comparing list & YouTube links
2015-07-04 — Added link for music score
2016-07-31 — Brushed upwardly for improve readability
2017-03-24 — Added link to actress YouTube video
2019-06-29 — Added Wild / Horenstein to YouTube list

Outline

Introduction / The Recordings
Groundwork, About the Limerick
The Movements
- I. Allegro ma non tanto
- II. Intermezzo: Adagio
- Three. Finale: Alla breve
The Interpretations, Overview
The Interpretations, Detail
- Sergej Rachmaninoff, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra (1940)
  - Artists and Recording
  - General Remarks
  - Notes on the Movements
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra (1972)
  - Artists and Recording
  - Notes on the Movements
- Martha Argerich, Riccardo Chailly, RSO Berlin (1982)
  - Artists and Recording
  - Notes on the Movements
- Zoltán Kocsis, Edo de Waart, San Francisco Symphony (1983)
  - Artists and Recording
  - General Remarks
  - Notes on the Movements
- Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (2013)
  - Artists and Recording
  - Notes on the Movements
Addendum i: Score
Annex 2: Tables
- Timing Table
- Interactive Timing Table

Introduction / The Recordings

This posting is about Rachmaninoff'southward Piano Concerto No.3. I currently take the following recordings, shown and discussed in chronological lodge:

Sergej Rachmaninoff, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra (1940)
Vladimir Ashkenazy, André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra (1972)
Martha Argerich, Riccardo Chailly, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (1982)
Zoltán Kocsis, Edo de Waart, San Francisco Symphony (1983)
Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (2013)

The beginning two are too present in my LP collection, the others were added more recently, and as CD only — see below for details.

Background, About the Limerick:

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) completed his Pianoforte Concerto No.iii in D minor, op.30, in 1909 in Moscow, before departing for an date in the The states. In that location, he gave the offset operation nether the direction of Walter Damrosch (1862 – 1950), followed immediately by another functioning, in whichGustav Mahler (1860 – 1911) was conducting.

The Movements:

The concerto features three movements, superficially fitting the scheme fast — slow — fast, simply the eye move is total of virtuosic & fast passages / sections. Conversely, the last movement as well has deadening(er) sections. I won't discuss the movements in item. Instead, I volition just outline the structure as seen in a superficial view in the score, trying to requite an impression on the tempo changes in Rachmaninoff'south score (excluding rall. / accel. / a tempo for very short segments). Note that interestingly, Rachmaninoff has not added any pedaling annotations!

I. Allegro ma non tanto

The concerto starts with the well-known main theme, played past the piano:

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 D minor, op.30: mvt.1, score sample

Allegro ma non tanto — a tempo — Più mosso — ii — Più vivo — three — 4 Allegro — Moderato — Allargando — 5 a tempo … 8 — Allargando — a tempo — 9 — Allegro — 10 —Tempo precedente — 11 Allegro — Tempo I (theme) — 12 Più mosso — xiii — Più vivo — xiv — Allegro — Alla Breve, Allegro molto — 15 … 18 poco a poco ritenuto — Allegro molto, Cadenza — 19 Meno mosso — Moderato, Cadenza — Moderato — 20 — Tempo I (theme) — 21 — 22 — United nations poco più mosso — 23 — a tempo — poco accelerando al Fine.

The above theme returns in the orchestra several times, the piano plays it simply 2 more times: once afterward 11 , softened, modulating to B♭ major, and then once again after 20, in its initial form.

Ii.Intermezzo: Adagio

Adagio — 24 — 25 Un poco più mosso — Più mosso — 26 Meno mosso — (short cadenza ) — a tempo, più mosso — 27 Meno mosso — Più vivo — 28 Meno mosso (Adagio) —a tempo, più mosso — 29 … 32 Tempo come up prima — Poco più mosso — 33 … 38 Un poco più mosso — Fifty'istesso tempo — attacca:

3.Finale: Alla breve

Alla breve (i/2 = 1/4) — xl … 42 — Più mosso — 43 … 45 Meno mosso — 46 — Allegro molto — 47 — Scherzando (1/4 = one/two) — 48 … 51 Più vivo — 52 — Meno mosso — 53 a tempo — 54 a tempo — 55 Lento — 56 — a tempo come prima — 57 … 59 Tempo I, Alle breve (1/ii = i/4) — 60 — Più vivo — 61 … 64 — Più mosso — 65 — 66 — Più vivo — 67 … 69 Vivace — 70 … 71 poco a poco accelerando — 73 — Cadenza — 74 Vivacissimo — United nations poco meno mosso — Tempo precedente — 75 United nations poco meno mosso — 76 — 77 Più vivo — a tempo — 79 Più vivo — Presto.

The Interpretations, Overview

In order to provide a rating overview, as well as an idea well-nigh tempo relations both within an estimation, besides equally between the ii recordings, I have prepared the little table below. Note that

The colour coding for the tempo (blue = slower / longer, greenish = faster / shorter) refers to the average between the recordings.
The movements are full of tempo changes. Measuring all relevant tempi would be a large amount of work; instead, I have just measured the tempo for the get-go segment in each move.
To complement this limited view, I accept likewise listed the durations of each motion.
The times for Rachmaninoff'south interpretation have been adapted for the omitted segments — by movement:
- Allegro ma non tanto: 8 bars of the section "Tempo precedente" (prior to 11 ) — actual track duration 13'57";
- Intermezzo: Adagio: 6 bars (Più vivo) up to 28 , plus the post-obit vii bars, annotated meno mosso (Adagio) — actual track duration: 8'xl";
- Finale, Alla breve: from 45 (Meno mosso) through 46 , up to the Allegro molto (29 bars); also, from the Meno mosso subsequently 52 upwardly to the a tempo at 54 (13 confined) — actual track duration: 11'22".
Applause (Argerich, Wang) and expressionless time (Ashkenazy) were subtracted from the track durations for the last move.
The ratings are subjective and relative, as usual (I can't exclude that at that place are versions out there that I would rate higher than those with a rating of 5).
I can't actually rate Rachmaninoff'due south own interpretation. He is a standard of his ain. I still gave ratings, to provide an idea about the listening experience, rather than for the obvious historic / reference value of this recording.

Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No.3 D minor op.30 — comparison table

The Interpretations, Detail

The recordings beneath are presented in chronological sequence. Annotation that — as outlined above, Rachmaninoff plays the concerto with several cuts; all other recordings feature the concerto without these cuts.

Sergej Rachmaninoff, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra (1940)

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos, Rhapsody — Rachmaninoff; CD cover

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos i – 4

Sergej Rachmaninoff, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra

Masters of the Piano, CDO 3002 (2 CDs, mono); © 2001
Booklet: 4 pp.,English

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos, Rhapsody — Rachmaninoff; CD, UPC-A barcode

Artists and Recording

We are lucky to take recordings of the composer's own estimation of all his piano concertos. He recorded concerto No.two in 1929 (with Leopold Stokowski), the other concertos he did in 1940 and 1941, Concerto No.3 dates from 1940 (keep in heed that the composer was 67 by that time!). Information technology's mono only, of grade, and there are limitations in how one could capture the sound of the orchestra. But this all the same gives us an idea of how the composer played his own works.

Still, 1 should keep in listen that the dynamics (in the piano office, also every bit in the orchestra) may not be captured appropriately. Also, I don't know whether the engineers had the power to make corrections in the recording. I recall we should accept this as a live concert recording. Rachmaninoff's recording is the shortest by a long stretch, though virtually of this is caused past skipping segments in each of the movements.

General Remarks

Yet, Rachmaninoff's playing is about as fast as technically (and humanly) possible. I don't retrieve we know whether the composer wanted to prove how well and fast he could even so play his concerto, and/or whether he wanted to "set a standard" a criterion, with the intent that other pianists ought to look at his interpretation every bit the simply valid model estimation of his piece of work? I personally don't think pianists should aim to duplicate his interpretation. After all, the composer had his own, personal skill set (only have the enormous span of his hands, covering i.5 octaves!); plus, from listening through the five recordings hither, I go the impression that this concerto allows for an uncommonly wide range of personal views. Many of these volition make perfect sense to today'southward audiences: there isn't a unmarried, "true" / "right" interpretation.

At least for the pianoforte sound, this is a very decent recording, given its 75 years of age! It'south amazing to see that Rachmaninoff plays this vastly faster than Ashkenazy — faster also than Martha Argerich (except for the final movement) and Yuja Wang! One limitation in the recording is that it does not reveal the pianist's dynamic bridge and relations. Information technology is possible that while Rachmaninoff had no technical issues with the trickiest of passages, but it seems that he used a limited dynamic span, rarely going below mf; likewise, the orchestra sometimes appears "just loud". Its sound of course is not spatially resolved from the piano.

Notes on the Movements

I. Allegro ma not tanto

Duration: 13'57"
The beginning in the orchestra is fast. Rachmaninoff plays the chief theme very much leaning forward, or is this just a matter of orchestra and pianist getting "in sync" / "in tune" with each other? This is merely in the beginning, merely he afterwards does use a fair amount of (sometimes heavy)rubato, specially on a very short scale (a big amount of rhythmic liberty within a bar, where each beat may become its ain weight & time). Some of this may exist attributed to Zeitgeist, but one can nonetheless deduce that the notation only shows the skeleton of the composition. 1 tin't criticize this interpretation, of class, simply one can for case see how much he meant to take the (often partially hidden) melody exposed within a complex texture, and how much rubato is adequate in the composer'due south view.

Of course, the composer is free to alter the text as he sees fit. In that location are a few places where he might have deviated from the score (I did not try registering those). He certainly left out the eight bars marked Tempo precedente, prior to 12. Also, his playing is exceptionally clear and transparent in general. He does not attempt obscuring any particular by excess use of the pedal. Rachmaninoff plays the standard cadenza. I'chiliad not sure whether the alternate version would accept enforced a slower tempo? The Alla breve section (starting between fourteen and fifteen) also every bit most of the cadenza arevery fast, indeed! At that place are lyrical moments as well, of course, but less than in other interpretations. Certainly, he is far from Ashkenazy's romanticism!

II.Intermezzo: Adagio

Duration: 8'forty"
One tin certainly feel some Zeitgeist in the orchestra playing, with all the portamento in the strings and the excessvibrato, just thank you to the relatively "fast" tempo (past far the fastest in this comparison), the music does non sound overblown. Here we tin hear what Rachmaninoff meant with cantabile, and what a practiced tempo for the melody is (and we are again reminded of the fact that Adagio ways calm, not slow)! Rachmaninoff skips the half dozen bars (Più vivo) upward to 28, plus the following 7 bars, annotated meno mosso (Adagio). Information technology is interesting to see that the composer makes fluent transitions between duplets and triplets in the right hand, afterward 30 (the left hand constantly plays triplets here). In the very virtuosic Poco più mosso department, the sound is concentrating on the piano, the dialog with the wind instruments is hard to follow.

Three.Finale: Alla breve

Duration: eleven'22"
The initial tempo is not exceedingly fast, but Rachmaninoff catches up in the second one-half of the movement: the composer'southward playing is light, playful. Occasionally it is on the edge of existence a scrap superficial in the articulation (maybe that'due south caused by the excruciating technical demands in this concerto?). Rachmaninoff skips the 29 confined between 45 (Meno mosso), through 46, upwards to the Allegro molto. He farther skips 13 bars from the Meno mosso, located ii bars after 52, upwards to 54 (a tempo).

Overall Duration: 33'57 "
Rating (see to a higher place for details): three.3 — Even though I don't think this should be taken as benchmark, or as an exact model for an "platonic" interpretation, I still think this is a "must have" for people seriously interested in this concerto.

Vladimir Ashkenazy, André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra (1972)

Rachmaninoff: Piano concertos 1 & 3 — Ashkenazy, Previn; CD cover

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto Nos.ane & three

Vladimir Ashkenazy, André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra

Decca / eloquence 460 487-two (CD, stereo); ℗ 1972
Booklet: two pp.,track listing merely

Rachmaninoff: Piano concertos 1 & 3 — Ashkenazy, Previn; CD, UPC-A barcode

Artists and Recording

This is part of the complete recording of all four Rachmaninoff concertos that Vladimir Ashkenazy (*1937) realized in 1971/72, nether the direction of André Previn (1929 – 2019). I already had this as an LP box — this re-release is split onto two split up CDs. In this concerto, Ashkenazy takes notoriously slower tempi than all others: his interpretation takes 46 minutes, compared to the 40 minutes specified in the score (and too the average of all performances in this postal service), permit lone the 34 minutes in Rachmaninoff's own interpretation.