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More related to this product:
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More related to this product:

• Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4
• Piano Ctos 1 & 4 / Rhapsody on Theme of Paganini
• Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3
• Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3, & 5
• Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 3, 5 & 9
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Disc 1:

1. No. 1, Moderato
2. No. 2, Adagio sostenuto
3. No. 3, Allegro scherzando
4. No. 1, Allegro ma non tanto
5. No. 2, Intermezzo: Adagio - attaca subito
6. No. 3, Finale: Alla breve

Customer Rating: - Big and lush, btu there's no real commitment
At this late date, it strikes me that these two warhorse conertos aren't worth recording unless pianist and conductor really believe in them. Such musicians are rare, because Rachmaninov is the most retro of retro composers, a blend of White Russia under the czars and Hollywood in the age of JOan Crawford. Here we get an odd couple pairing of a hyper-modern conductor and a Russian pianist who is presumably to the manner born. The result is technically all it should be, but there's no real commitment to either work. Salonen in particular is going through the motions, supplying a lush carpet of sound and little more. Within ten bars of the opening to the Second Concerto all rhythmic vitality has been lost, and we are submerged in a murky fog that never lifts.

In all, if you want gorgeous sound, a plush orchestra, and Bronfman's pedigree technique, all are present. But for the real spirit of Rachmaninov, turn to the composer himself or Sviatoslav Richter, and Martha Argerich.

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Customer Rating: - Play all the right notes for me.
The performance and the recording quality is top notch. A real gem. The sound quality is much better than the other very popular album by Byron Janis.

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Customer Rating: - The Security and Exuberant Warmth of a Long Relationship
Yefim Bronfman and Esa-Pekka Salonen are musically related, or so it would seem from their frequent collaborations both in concert and in recordings (see also their Bartok recordings). Though this recording was made in 1990 it remains one of the finest performances of both the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and the Concerto No. 3 in D minor. And now with the reissue under the Essential Classics by Sony at the incredibly low bargain price this CD is one that is a 'must own' for any classical music lover.

Bronfman is one of today's most highly regarded musicians and pianists: he is intelligent, sensitive, technically sure, limitlessly powerful in his ability to draw beautiful sounds from the piano while allowing the usual 'impossible difficult' passages to seem like play, and he is a poet. These attributes serve him well in these performances. He is able give expansive verve to the extended melodic lines without dwelling too long to make them indulgent, and he drives through the rapid sections like a man of fire with dexterity and fleetness of passage.

Salonen is completely at home with Bronfman's approach to these concerti. Conducting The Philharmonia he draws orchestral singing that duets with Bronfman's lines, underlining the tenderness and echoing the line inventions in an utterly equal partnership. This is immaculate collaboration and results in two performances of Rachmaninov's most popular works that rank with the very finest in the recorded repertoire. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 06

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Customer Rating: - A Review of Mr. Bronfman's "Allegro Scherzando"
Mr. Bronfman's performance of the concerto is technically impeccable, as is the case with all of the pianists today. Scales are even, not a single note is left out or is played without care, and the incredibly speed with which he plays is bound to awe any audience. However, musically speaking, it is questionable.

The opening glissando, and the entire solo introduction, is without much dynamic difference nor heart - however, it is technically perfect: not one note is missed. The inner voices of Ab and G that commence the arpeggios in the introduction are hardly, if not at all, brought out. The marked crescendo in the scale following the arpeggios, which is supposed to provide a dynamic contrast to the soft dialogue between the orchestra and the piano immediately following, is not apparent either. Then begins the piano solo. The inner voices here - the scales and arpeggios - are much too loud in comparison to the melody: Ab-G-Ab-G-F-G-F-Eb-F-Eb... and it sounds as if the entire solo is a single phrase.

To skip to the finale of the movement - the orchestra is much too slow in providing the melody. If one listens to Rachmaninoff's recording, one realizes that he played the finale in a fast tempo, only to contrast brilliantly with the climax at which he slows the tempo - this isn't the case here. And Mr. Bronfman plays the ending much too fast. So fast that even Mr. Cziffra might have raised an eyebrow had he played the composition.

In comparison to what I believe is the best recording of this piece, by Arthur Rubinstein, the performance lacks heart, vigor, logic, and warmth - this concerto is a piece that is supposed to bring out tears in the eyes of the listener, or a rush into his or her heart. However, it is technically perfect. Bravo.