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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: Rachmaninoff, PC 3; Kondrashin/Van Cliburn
Post Subject: Rachmaninoff, PC 3; Kondrashin/Van CliburnPosted by Paul S on: 6/15/2008
PCA LM 2355 (2-channel mono)

I don't listen to a lot of Rachmaninoff, buut I would if more of it was done like this.

Here is a young Van Cliburn, just back from his USSR tour, playing at Carnigie hall with Kiril Kondrashin directing the Symphony of the Air, May 19, 1958.
 
Kondrashin does a decidedly "narrative" reading here, and Van Cliburn is simply magical.  The orchestra is just right, very "considerate", but also very "conscious", well under Kondrashin's direction, and he well knows the score, along with apparent extreme sensitivity to Van Cliburn.  The interplay is quite special.

Throughout the concerto Kondrashin typically plays "under" Van Cliburn, in terms of pitch.  Then, in the third movement, Van Cliburn keeps dropping along with Kondrashin until Van Cliburn -  somehow - seems to make his piano "drop a full register".  I have no idea how he does it.  It is not at all gimicky; it is very, very cool.

I liked this concerto the first time I heard it, when I was a kid.  It seemed very "progressive" to me at the time.  I may not have listened carefully to this piece since, until now.

Crazy beautiful.

Paul S

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