Rachmaninov: 3rd piano concerto/Goerner

Jed Distler

Artistic Quality:

Sound Quality:

Nelson Goerner’s beautifully modulated pianism and centered musicianship first caught my attention by way of his excellent Chopin recital released in EMI’s budget-priced Debut series. It comes as no surprise, then, that Goerner brings these qualities to Rachmaninov’s most demanding concerto in a live performance recorded in February, 2000. His suave, feathery dispatch of even the gnarliest textures mirrors the fleet, Apollonian poise we hear in the composer’s 1930 recording and in those by like-minded contemporaries such as Kocsis, Thibaudet, and Volodos. Vassily Sinaisky provides a taut and sympathetic orchestral framework, featuring lovely woodwind solos emerging from the first-movement cadenza (Goerner favors the more difficult chordal option), although the location engineering lacks the presence and heft of this work’s best recordings, including the fiery live Argerich/Chailly traversal.

Goerner’s lyrical gifts truly soar in the two preludes from Rachmaninov’s Op. 32 group (so do the composer’s, but we know that already!). The Op. 23 No. 2 Prelude doesn’t sizzle à la Richter or Gavrilov, but the ease and deft control Goerner brings to Blumenfeld’s left-hand etude will impress many a picky pianophile.


Recording Details:

Reference Recording: Concerto: Kocsis (Philips), Argerich (Philips)

SERGEI RACHMANINOV - Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30; Preludes Op. 32 Nos. 5 & 12; Op. 23 No. 2
FÉLIX BLUMENFELD - Etude for the left hand alone Op. 36

Search Music Reviews

Search Sponsor

  • Insider Reviews only
  • Click here for Search Tips

Visit Our Merchandise Store

Visit Store
  • Benjamin Bernheim Rules as Met’s Hoffmann
    Benjamin Bernheim Rules as Met’s Hoffmann Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, NY; Oct 24, 2024 Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann is a nasty work. Despite its
  • RIP David Vernier, Editor-in-Chief
    David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com’s founding Editor-in-Chief passed away Thursday morning, August 1, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. The end came shockingly quickly. Just a
  • Finally, It’s SIR John
    He’d received many honors before, but it wasn’t until last week that John Rutter, best known for his choral compositions and arrangements, especially works related