Moiseiwitsch plays Rachmaninov Moment Musical No. 4 Op. 16

[johnnyblue34]

This is a perfect moment 4! what is called for is that unceasing pulse in tone and clr, like a beating heart - and Benno is extraordinary - always!!! (despite bad audio here)

Listen to Jung Lin's moment 4, best since Benno, also gives you those pulsing harmonics, unbelievable clarity and great sensitivity to Rach :-)))

[mehandas]

@johnnyblue34 Jung Lin' version doesn't have the beauty of 2.30 to 2.43 interpretation here- which for me is the most important part of this piece.

[Bret6464]

@mehandas I like Jung Lin's 2:30 - 2:43 a lot, those are the "bell" sounds" of Rach :-)

She's the only performer of Moment 4 that puts those sounds in besides Benno M., you can also hear them in Rach's playing Moment 2 and Horowitz' Moment 2. IMO Jung is the one pianist today that absolutely plays extraordinary Rach :-)

[mehandas]

@Bret6464 I admit it is a different interpretation, but I don't think it's the same as Bennos 230:243. I have a feeling she uses too much pedal, and it's more 'furious' and louder - both musical lines- and there is less finish - or maybe that's the recording. Maybe I'm just stuck to my old ways - as Benno's was the first one I listened to.

[Bret6464]

@mehandas I think perhaps it's the sound quality of the recording here on Benno's performance, compared to Jung Lin's live performance from her recital broadcast live on the Chicago PBS station, her video looks to be just the feed from the TV broadcast. The interpretations are different but similar, I like both of them a lot :-)

[Hervinbalfour]

@mehandas Honestly she uses very little pedal imo.

[morvensky]

I am a huge BM fan, but I afraid this tends to the ineffective. It is a very musical interpretation, but it needs to be powerful and dramatic to contrast with the 3rd and 5th moment musicals. This is not bad though.

[hophmi]

Agree, but if it's played alone, this is good approach. Moiseiwitsch tended, like Rachmaninoff, to play in an understated way sometimes.

[Grigor99]

Everything BM touched turned to gold. He truly had the Midas touch! He was a very gentle and humble man also.

[caijpp]

He indeed has some magical hands, but for me it's not gold that he turned everything into, but unrelentingly pounding pulses.

[ClassicalMusicReview]

So true Joyce...It's amazing how great the disparity is between his cinamtic view of Lilacs or Kreisleriana and here hardly at all so.

[caijpp]

Have you listened to other performances of this? They all sound so dark and tragic...but this is so different. There are absolutely no monumental scenes, no heroic gestures, but the beat keeps it moving forcefully, unyieldingly, forward. This is limitless...

[ClassicalMusicReview]

My beloved Joyce,You're a little devil of course...Everything here is very forced with the limitlessness of not one memorably monumental or intimate scene ever to come! You intrepidly knew what felicity that would render me,now didn't you!?!

[caijpp]

To bring you more happiness, I have sent you many versions of this, all very much different from this but similar among themselves. And to make it more challenging for Moiseiwitsch, please also listen to Pogorelich's here on YT. Which do you prefer?

[libetta]

you are a crazy being you always mention joyce joyce! you remind me of someone insane always calling out to someone, without making sense at all

[teoakinyel]

fantastic recording. strange rendition but wonderful of the peice. perhaps we bang on rachmaninoffs pieces a bit much. moiseiwitsch wasa genius and it is no wonder rachmaninoff thought so high of him.

[ceb2633]

Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for posting.

[ClassicPo0h]

just how he fills the piece with such streamed emotion. amazing.

[ignisfatuus67]

Outstanding. Very personal view of that very often bad played piece. This recording is a treasure

[fionasapple]

i like how he uses less pedal than any other pianist. it makes other parts where he uses pedal stand out more.

[keybawd]

I never fail to be moved by Moisewitsch's playing. A huge technique of course, but what blazes through is his musicality. This is how Rachmaninov should be played. The phrases breathe, the sound is wonderful, no showing off, just great music making. Moiseiwitsch is one of the greatest pianists since recordings began.