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Even today, the interpretation and playing of these pieces by Cliburn is as exhilarating and rewarding as you are likely to come across. Hear him at the peak of his powers and be grateful that you can.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a first class compilation of historic recordings. I bought it mainly for the live recording of Rachmaninov 3 in the Carnegie Hall in 1958, which is one of the finest performances of the work. The digital transfer is very good. I'm lucky to have a good copy of the 1959 RCA LP, and this is every bit as good and faithful to the original, with less distortion on the very loudest passages. It is clearly derived from the master tapes as the applause goes on longer at the end than the LP pressing. Superb, as is the Tchaikovsky No.1 recorded a couple of weeks later also in the Carnegie Hall. I'm in my late 60s and have heard these works many times, sometimes live. I doubt if they have been played better than this. The other historic recording is Rachmaninov's 2nd Sonata recorded in Moscow around 1960. Unlike the RCA recording where the sound is superb considering it was done 60 years ago, the Russian recording is very harsh and metallic. I'm a bit ambivalent about this piece, particularly in the original version as performed here, but that is a personal preference. Clearly it was an historic event and Van Cliburn gives a barnstorming performance but I don't think I'll listen to it as much as the rest of the album. There are some excellent biographical notes too with photos. Highly recommended. A must have for the piano enthusiast.Read full review
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