Rachmaninoff plays Chopin : Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31

[gapoc459]

This is my favorite recording of this piece, and it's not even completely legit!!!! Rachmaninoff was THAT good, I guess! :P

[JohnsonPollock]

This is a piano roll that many critics think something is wrong with. However, to hear a non-roll recording of Rach WONDERFULLY playing a Chopin Scherzo (no. 3, not no. 2), go here:

watch?v=2uc8jqJYdfk

[MarlitaLinda77]

Rachmaninoff es uno de mis compositores favoritos y este scherzo es uno de mis favoritos de Chopin! Guau es emocionate!

[PianoMan6302]

One of my favourite pieces written by one of my favourite composers, played by another of my favourite composers :)

[abracadabranque]

Un regard de compositeur et un jeu virtuose.

[tdennison22]

Absolutely adore this piece. Unfortunately however, I've heard this piece interpreted (at least to my tastes) better in Zimerman's recording. I love Rach, but I think he was a far better composer than a performer. This felt a little chopy at times, especially toward the end. I even wondered if it could be a roll recording. Maybe it's just the lack of technical recording detail.

[fredericfranc]

@tdennison22 ...lots of people think that Rach was a far better pianist than a composer...oddly enough one gets the impression that Rach HIMSELF thought that...anyway, given that Rach, practically "by definition" would play this Chopin piece better than Zimerman...yeah, you have to conclude this is not really him playing, it is a machine...besides, the recording is in the freaking STEREO...

[tdennison22]

@fredericfranc Respectfully, I disagree that Rach was a better pianist than composer. Listen to his Concertos, particularly his 2nd Concerto (2nd movement), and perhaps there's no better composition in the entire Romantic era. His compositions are near perfect (IMHO), but I'll bet there were better pianists during his time, and still better interpreters of Chopin. But again, this is just my opinion.

[fredericfranc]

@tdennison22 ...I really do not understand what issue you are trying to address in this comment. Please note that the real issue that started this exchage is "who or WHAT is playing the piano in this video"...but what you are saying is somewhat weird in the sense that it is kind of impossible to name "better pianists" or "better interpreters of Ch. " who are the contemporaries of Rach. You have any likely candidates?...and his pianist status does not relate to that of the composer..

[rdtobias]

@tdennison22 Rachmaninoff and Hoffman were nearly universally acknowledged as the two greatest pianists of their era. There is no one of that time that I know of who is seriously considered as superior to either by knowledegable musicians.

[tchykovsky]

It's already on Youtube.

/watch?v=RM4ZhkrQfMg

[tchykovsky]

Much better than the video you're responding. This is from the Window in Time CD I take it? This recording captured the touch quite well, but the pedaling is sadly off, not allowing the nuances to flow properly. Classic Pianos released a good six minutes of computer technology analysis on this same roll and it's SO much better. It's sadly missing the four minutes of the end of the piece. The middle section was much better.

[michelraymond1412]

@tchykovsky "Classic Pianos released a good six minutes of computer technology analysis on this same roll and it's SO much better. "

if you have it, it'll be great if you can put it on youtube...