Piano Concerto No 3 / Rhapsody on a Theme PF Pagan

Denis Matsuev is now one of the most sought-after pianists in the world. This happens not only for he won the prestigious Tchaikovsky international competition in Moscow (1998), but mainly for his astounding virtuosity, for his unmatched ease to tackle the most demanding works in the repertory, for his technical wizardry and refined musicality through which he conveys deeply felt truths of the scores. His inspired artistry aims at shading a new light on traditional masterpieces and extracting unexpected riches out of them.This is the case here, since Matsuev simply sparks in Rachmaninov's beloved Paganini Rhapsody or the overwhelming 3rd piano concerto. The soloist finds a pathless way to the very essence of these mighty works and succeeds to present them to us as fresh masterpieces full of surprises and spectacular accents, in a very personal manner, without being tributary to any older canonical version, though without letting a bothering impression of ostentatious originality. This freshness looks more evident in Rhapsody where the vivid approach unveils a deep empathy with the composer's intentions, with the mood of each variation reflecting strange premonitory accents. While the colossal weight of the Concerto can't be avoided, the large-scale pianistic displays and the dependence on the orchestral paste allowing little room for novelty. The lyrical side is not neglected throughout, but subtly potentiated by minute inflexions and a detail-oriented finger-work.The recorded sound is gorgeous, the orchestral support offered by Mariinsky under maestro Gergiev flawless and inspiring. Highly recommended!

I saw Matsuev perform Rach 3 with the Mariinsky in Chicago and was absolutely blown away, having a) never seen the concerto performed live and b) that his interpretation could come close to Argerich's legendary standard. The unexpected treat was the extended cadenza that is (here, too) one of the most impressive raw displays of pure pianistic power I have ever seen. Yet when the music calls for tenderness, he can put the hands of steel away and dazzle audiences with his emotional capacity too. I came away from that concert swearing never to forget the name of Denis Matsuev. Though the Rach 3 was what prompted me to buy the CD, I must say his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is just as delightful, even if it never drove any pianist to madness. No Rachmaninov piano lover can, in my opinion, go without at least a few careful listens to Matsuev, and this is an astonishing showcase of his rather frightening abilities at the keyboard.

You can watch Michael Pletnev's DVD of the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini on Youtube, and since I like his performance more than anyone else, including the composers, I will focus primarily on the 3rd Piano Concerto of which I have 18 recordings.The 2 very best and greatest recorded performances I have ever heard of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto are with Byron Janis and Van Cliburn who give every note meaning and make the Concerto come together as a single expressive statement of Rachmaninoff's vision.Van Cliburn's 1958 recording (recently digitally remastered on RCAs "Living Stereo" series) of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto with Kyril Kondrashin, and Byron Janis (who studied under Horowitz for 10 years and plays it better than his teacher) 1961 recording with Antal Dorati and the London Philharmonic (Mercurys Living Presence sound is excellent) are in a class by themselves performancewise and continue to set the standard by which all other performances must be compared (like Schnabel or Brendel playing Beethoven)This new recording by Dennis Matsuev however, is definitely one of the best Rachmaninoff 3rds I have ever heard although he skips 13 bars in the last movement.The reason I give this CD 5 stars is because there are many passages of the Concerto that are fresh and spontaneous and therefore sound as if you are hearing the music for the first time, and also the sound quality is absolutely stunning and in the demonstration category.On the downside, Matsuev tends to rush some of the most gorgeous sections of the 2nd movement, namely at page 41 where the composer has written: "maestoso" not "Allegro" and in the last movement he skips 13 bars (all of pages 60 & 61) and during the thundering tocatta towards the end of the last movement you can barely hear his lefthanded octaves at page 75 which are electrifying in the hands of pianist Santiago Rodriguez who by the way, doesnt skip anything nor does he rush the gorgeous 2nd movement. Santiago Rodriguez's 1998 digitally recorded live performance, will always be a top contender as one of the greatest performances this piece has ever known with the Penguin CD Guide giving it their highest recommendation (a Rosette) while comparing him to William Kapell and Horowitz.(He won the Silver Medal during the 1981 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.) So if you buy this CD with Dennis Matsuev I am certain that you will enjoy it. But be aware that there are better performances of both works available, however none can quite match the incredible sound of this one.(But if I was living on a desert island, at the top of my must have list would be Pletnev's DVD of the Rhapsody and Olga Kern's DVD of the Concerto, she has 2 but my favorite is the one in Fort Worth Texas June 2001, of her Gold Medal winning performance.Watching this beautiful young woman give the performance of a lifetime is something that words cannot describe)

When I saw a recent concert by the Mariinski Orchestra I was blown away. This CD is beautifully recorded and is well worth it. I also am a fan of Somewhere in Time, which features Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

Very good.

I mostly agree with Carl Armstrong's review near by as far as the performances. I also own quite a few recordings of these pieces (8 of the 3rd, and half a dozen of the Rhapsody). It is not as musical as some recordings of the 3rd - my personal favorite is Lazar Berman with the London Symphony, which I believe is still available (and which does not edit the final movement of the 3rd). That said, my real problem with this CD is in the engineering. It is done to shockingly low standards with regard to the edits. The actual recording seems to be OK, but the edits are intrusive. There are clearly insertions here that can be heard on good equipment. Even more noticeable, each subsection of the Rhapsody seems to have been a separate take, and they were slammed together in a way that leaves clearly audible transitions. Indeed, on some, there is a notable change in the ambient noise. This gets in the way of the flow of the overall music. I am not opposed delicate editing to enhance a performance, but this clearly was done in a ham-handed way.

Love Racmaninov.

Terrific recording/ Denis Matsuev can play with the very best.

Matsuev is a virtuoso, this shines out, at times, whilst Gergiev and the orchestra are top-class. This cd is a good buy!

I'm a big fan of Rachmaninov and have several recordings of his third piano concerto but this has to be the best.

excellent

Simply...supreme

It is excellent, like the packing, delivery time and quality.