Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto 4 - Movement 1

[Bret6464]

Rachmaninoff performing his 4th PC is on YT :-)

[HoLyGuN1907]

0 dislikes. wow.. Even youtube understood his genius and soul.

[nvsmp]

Perfect, an excellent piece.

[atemlos2585]

Rachmaninov's work is quite characteristic, piano is unmistakable as much as Chopin's notes are. This concerto however doesn't sound as much as him, nevertheless is equally great.

[belegSJ]

I absolutely love this fourth concerto. It's quite sad actually that it's not as widely known as, say, the second concerto.

Magnificent recording indeed!

[afertyus1000]

This is supercharged with emotion amonsgst my favourite piano writing

[kristoferfir]

@Niodo I see blue

[0011486]

@kristoferfir I see nothing, I hear everything.

[kristoferfir]

@0011486 that's because you are cool

[mademan39]

from 5:12 and onward..one of my favorite parts of this piece..he is playing it too fast..

[jaythoven67]

Rachmaninoff has one of those faces that you could believe never smiled.

[danimal245]

@jaythoven67 Ya, he seems too intense, but looks like he's always thinking

[Silverdaddy101]

I would never compare this work to the other 3 concertos.  It's just a horse of a different color. Genius, not on a different page, but in a different book.

[agreatgeat]

Oh, wow. I didn't know there is a fourth piano concerto by Rach. Can't wait to finish buffering the video.

[4TheDoctor2]

Too much passion...ears going to explode!!!

[marcoantoniocosta]

Might be a silly question, but is this recording the 1941 'final' version? I'm thinking of buying to sheet music to dabble, but I'm unsure of what to look for.

This concerto has kind of superseded the 2nd and 3rd for me, I must say. It's just unique.

[bachkwt]

i think this concerto is underrated

[LoftyProduction]

you'd have thought this would have been his best work after all the practice he had. 2nd/3rd, prelude in g minor ect.

[chuckcloseisgod]

Such an underrated concerto!

[PianistFN]

How could Rachmaninov not have finished the concerto if he even recorded it?

[SimonYChang]

To all readers of this Youtube video: Please take caution with any information that @daviescs gives out in this post. His "opinions" about Rachmaninoff cannot be corroborated with any reputable scholarship on the composer, and he has repeatedly given out erroneous and nonsensical information that have no relationship with who the composer was. While he is entitled to his own opinions, his comments cannot be trusted as authoritative in any sense of the word. You have been warned.

[daviescs]

@bboyairchao - according to Warner Brothers publications INc. (C) 1946 Charles Folwy. The following is in my book: Rachmaninoff had finished greater part of ... 2 piano reduction ... not able to finish before his death. Mrs. Rachmaninoff asked Robert Russell Bennett, if he would finish the task. Mr. Bennet complied.

[SimonYChang]

@daviescs - It is now evidently clear that you are horribly mistaken in all details regarding not just this concerto but Rachmaninoff's life. None of the details you provided matches up with known, reputable scholarship on Rachmaninoff. Even the name of the author you provided - Charles Folwy - does not exist. Russell Bennett was involved with Rachmaninoff's last piece, "The Symphonic Dances", in offering suggestions on how the saxophone can be incorporated, not with the 4th Concerto.

[PianistFN]

@SimonYChang

Fowly should be Foley.

[daviescs]

Correction:  The original score was finished by Rachmaninov, however; the orchestration of the second piano was NOT finished by Rachmaninov.

[SimonYChang]

@daviescs You have been consistently wrong in just about all aspects of this piano concerto, as well as about the composer himself.

1) Rachmaninoff did *NOT* die before the concerto could be finished. He finished this concerto almost 20 years before his death, and it received its world premiere in 1927.

2) The original manuscript was *NOT* a two-piano reduction.

3) There was no "family friend" who finished the orchestration for him.

Please take caution with your "research" before writing.

[aspergershawn]

@daviescs

that is correct, very exact - Robert Russell Bennett finished the two-piano reduction. It doesn't mean he co-composed it or wrote the concerto or anything else (simonychang seems to be stuck on this point - and you never said that either). that's all

[dementedpianist]

9:00 - this guy's got some chords...

[bear393]

sublime, especially the very beginning.

[chrissteer001]

He really kind of goes all over the place in this one. It's almost like he's experimenting with various musical themes and motives in order to fulfill some inner need of creating complexity. I love it. So eerie and mysterious.

[d1agos]

my favorite moment at 9:09

[DiMj100]

real masterpiece....

[pdincelli]

Beautifully played. Vladmir Ashkenazy and Previn... what a great team... though Ashkenazy is know for his "speedy" interpretations of some pieces, this one is quite fabulous. Tks.

[1980NewWave]

This is my first listening to this concerto. It's very interesting, not quite sure what to make of it. A few times I had to remind myself that I was listening to Rachmaninoff and not Gershwin. A great piece of music, but it can't hold a candle to Rach's 2nd concerto.

[elpapaya94]

omg... I just made a pretty awesome connection. If you played all the rachmaninov piano concertos together in chronological order, it would pretty much sum up his life as a pianist and composer.

[DaddyYankiweee]

fffffffffffffffffffffffff

[davidjb100]

Partially, the concerto lacks the support the others have garnered due to its amalgam of influences. Take, for example, the passages at 1:28 - 1:52, 3:48 - 4:10, and 4:58 - 5:11; they lend themselves to Rachmaninoff's contemporaries (mainly Prokofiev). Critics were expecting another stormy work of late Russian romanticism, but what they got was, to them, an awkward blend of 20th century harmonic trends and late-19th century lyricism. Personally, I adore this concerto. Thanks for uploading!

[CYYZspotter]

why isnt this concerto famous? its beautiful!!!!!

[gerhold101]

@CYYZspotter It's not so famous beacuase 2 & 3 are enormously famous. It is, as many of his later works (Rhapsody, Corelli Variations, Symphonic Dances),is just contrary to what his critics accused him of - "weeping at the feet of Tchaikovsky" This is 20th century music, intellectually crafted, but melodic and emotional too. His music has always been popular with the 'non-cognoscenti' and will always be.

[kevycanavan]

start reminds me of Danny Elfman's Batman score

[valadyr2]

Wow, this concerto is one of my favourite pieces by Rachmaninov, this first movement is really incredible, then again we wonder why it is so underrated.

[lee4ivy]

supposedly this was critiqued really badly when rachmaninoff first introduced it, but i absolutely ADORE IT. especially the violin solo-ing around 9:25 touched me so much.

[BlackJayandSlimTim]

Those chords from 9:04 to 9:10 are some of the most beautiful and memorable chords I've ever heard.

[84Fish48Fish]

I found out that when Rachmaninoff finished the concerto, (yes, he finished it before he died) he had to do a whole bunch of cuts because he was afraid that it was too long. He jokingly mentioned to his friend that he might have to perform each movement on separate nights.

[cattleman6420012000]

This is absolutely superb piano playing by Vladimir Ashkenazy. There is a wonderful understanding and musical togetherness with Andre Previn. A magnificent and sensitive recording.

[84Fish48Fish]

I really like the violins at 9:11.

There's a flood of emotion.

[Aristarxos85]

Yes, I absolutely agree with you.

This part of 1st Movement is very very emotional.

5 stars!

[ossiacadenza1]

you should watch where you throw your 9 11s. :)

[Arghier]

cannot explain my feelings for this piece with words.

[Niodo]

This is my favorite movement of any Rach concerto. Pure fantasy and escapism. This was the hardest one for me to grasp the subtly of, but once I did freakin' blew my mind. I from some reason associate colors with all of Rach's concertos...whenever I listen to the 4th I always see Green in my mind. The cadenza is pure power, planets are colliding.

[ProkofievRules]

I get the green comment, actually. Very green.

[AttemptingToBeBusy]

@Niodo Same for me - this is green. The first movement of the Rach 3 is also green to me though (if a paler shade)... But the Rach 2 is a lovely deep red...

[ongalexander]

@Niodo YES!!! I see green too. Wow. that's the first thing I associate the concerto with. And I never understood this too until what the music said also appeared in my life..

[artymowycz]

@Niodo do you associate colour with notes?

[Gargantupimp]

@Niodo Yeah I concur with green, probably because it's in G though lol.

[cafity]

@Niodo Do you see green? Skryabin would not like you, he saw orange when hearing something in G (minor or major, he could not distinguish it) ;D

[dragmio]

@cafity To me, E major is orange, or dark yellow (E minor is pure yellow) I'm not sure about G minor. G major is definitely blue, even navy blue, so G minor could be very light blue, maybe even turquoise. Interestingly, A minor and D minor are darker to me than their major counterparts.

[cafity]

@dragmio Do you have synesthesia? That's fascinating! :)

[dragmio]

@cafity Well if I do, it seems I'm not the only one. :) In fact it goes like this. C- green, Cm-very dark green, C#m is lighter green, but darker than C. D is white (opaque and shiny). F is also white but see-thru. F# is also white. :) Maybe just plain white. Dm is light yellow and Bm is light beige. B is dark beige. A is red and Am is crimson. As you see, it's not a perfect system. There's a lot of white. :) And yellow. And I don't know the colors for rare chords like D#.

[cafity]

@dragmio Cool! You should check Alexander Scriabin in Wikipedia and see his own colored circle of fifths :)

[lmfviolet78]

@dragmio do you people who associate keys with certain colors have perfect pitch? I only see colors and textures relating to the timbre of the music, not specific notes, so this for instance is a gorgeous mixture of so many different colors but all mostly in this soft billowy cloudy shape. Once I know the key of something (i only have good relative pitch) i just think of the color of that letter, like A being red even if whatever piece it is doesn't sound red. I find this subject so fascinating

[LoftyProduction]

@Niodo um, when compared the third concertos 1st movement Cadenza .... lol I'll take the rach 3s :)

[fierydog]

@Niodo The first movement is excellent. But i think the third is even better!

[MrCryptic55]

@Niodo I see much more than green...every color imaginable plus what would planets colliding look like? how many colors would you actually see?

[jczcameron]

I like how it focuses on rhythmic and harmonic development over structure - definitely quite experimental - and beautiful

[earthatic]

So Rachmaninov was not the person who completed this concerto?! Can you tell me more, I'm really interested in anything to do with Rachmaninov's life and pieces!

[ArturoAlejandroS]

Really in 1941 he finishes the ultimate version.

I prefer although the original of 1926(in youtube).It's far expressive,specially in the last movement.

[Martel211996]

@earthatic That is a false statement. Rachmaninoff completed this concerto in 1926, this was well before he died, which was in 1943. However, he made so many cuts and revisions to the score that he entirely finished a more modern version in 1941, which was 2 years before his death. It was too long and hard for an orchestra to follow, and there was many mixed reviews about this concerto. It wasn't exactly a hit success, but it wasn't a failure like his first symphony.

[handycappo]

@earthatic dont listn to him he's lie'ing... he did finish it.. theres also a comment there below or a bove cause i dont know where this one will go,, it says he premiered it in 1927

[MaximPodolsky]

@earthatic Rachmaninoff recorded all 4 of his concertos, so I don't see how he could have done that if he didn't complete it. Who plays an incomplete concerto with an orchestra and makes a recording?

[piachmaninov]

@earthatic Rachmaninov himself completed his fourth concert in 1926.

[Smorchevsky]

@earthatic I did portret mr.Rachmaninoff,yours artist by Micha Smorchevsky (Сморчевский) on You Tube.

Moscow,01.16.2011

Russia

[singingjustcuz]

@earthatic akshully Rachmaninov did finish this piece and even revised it due to it's originally enormous length . He (Rachmaninov) wrote to a friend saying that the piece was so long it would have to be played over the course of several nights like Wagner's Ring Cycle.

[Starbirdy9999]

@earthatic He means the two piano version.

[pookiehohn]

Are you sure? It looks(from wikipedia) like it was published during his lifetime.

[ThaSchwab]

@daviescs Rachmaninoff himself published this final version before he died. Though it isn't as he wanted it, it's all his.

[towntroubadour]

@daviescs Wrong. He finished it in 1926 and revised it in 1928 and 1941.

[pierrot79]

@daviescs

The concerto was written in 1926. The premiere (by himself, with Leopold Stokowski leading the orchestra) was not a success (too modern for the critics) so he reworked the score twice and published (1928, 1941).

So it was entirely written an published before his death (1943).

[ComradeKomaron]

@daviescs that is not true

[adamjenson4500]

@daviescs that's not true

[goodmanmusica]

@daviescs

Rachmaninoff composed this piece in 1926 and also make a recording whith Ormandy.The last revision was made in 1942.

But Rach not completed the TWO PIANO REDUCTION that whas finshed by Robert Russel Bennet

[SimonYChang]

@daviescs : The information you provided here is incorrect. Rachmaninoff did finish it, and at no point in his biography was anyone else highlighted as the "co-composer" of this piece. Rachmaninoff is the sole composer of this complete piano concerto.

[bboyairchao]

@daviescs Are you sure about your sources? He wrote the work in 1926, and even revised it 1941. As far as I know, he completed it himself. I'm not aware of anyone being commissioned to finish it.

[aspergershawn]

@bboyairchao

Yes, the two-piano version was finished by Robert Russell Bennett (which means all he did was check the finished orchestral score by Rachmaninoff and then transcribe it for two-pianos, the original piano solo part of the revised 1941 version and add a second piano part reduction for the orchestra - there are many mistakes in this two piano version which have been corrected recently in a Boosey and Hawkes edition).

[aspergershawn]

@bboyairchao

Yes, the two-piano version was finished by Robert Russell Bennett (which means all he did was check the finished orchestral score by Rachmaninoff and then transcribe it for two-pianos, the original piano solo part of the revised 1941 version and add a second piano part reduction for the orchestra - there are many mistakes in this two piano version which have been corrected recently in a Boosey and Hawkes edition).

[mmoynan]

@daviescs Where did you hear this? I am 99% certain that this is incorrect. This concerto was finished in 1926 and premiered in 1927 - 26 years before his death.

Yes, he made revisions, but those were done long before his death.

[aspergershawn]

Ok let's just be clear - Rachmaninoff wrote and scored this concerto in three different versions 1926, first published version of 1928 (TAIR edition) and the last revised in 1941. I have studied them all and my favourite is the manuscript version. Robert Russell Bennett was commissioned to complete the two-piano version based on Rachmaninoff's piano and orchestra version of 1941. That's all, thanks. This is just part of the litterature on Rachmaninoff which can be found everywhere.

[yannickrohel]

Sorry but Rachmaninov did finish this concerto by the year 1926.

[Gargantupimp]

@daviescs Pretty much positive this is false, he had premiered and revised this work multiple times throughout his life, I doubt he would of premiered it in 1927 without completing it.

[handycappo]

@daviescs u lie for no reason... why?? why would u say such a stupid lie,, and u thought no 1 would question u,, well the facts are there and u didnt know them ... so next time u feel like gaining some attention jus tell the truth,, that ur a dope

[jrdennis95]

@handycappo You're the one attention seeking by biting back. His statement actually has some element of truth in it. Rachmaninoff did complete the fourth concerto, but died before witnessing his 'true image' of the piece. That's why he constantly revisited it in a hope to tinker and change what he heard. So yes, he finished it but no, he didn't finish it the way he hoped to. Officially, it's still 'uncompleted'.

[cafity]

@daviescs Why did your comment received so many negative votes?! It's just an information people! Calm down...!

[BaboonBassoon]

@daviescs how is it then possible for him to write a 5th piano concerto? Enlighten me

[snaaptaker]

@daviescs Actually, Rachmaninoff did finish the concerto--and then he revised it--twice.

What he didn't finish was the orchestral part reduction for the second piano. Mrs. Rachmaninoff asked Robert Russel Bennett to finish the 2nd-piano part, which he did. And that's all he did.

[fierydog]

@snaaptaker Thank you for clearing that up, I always heard it was heavily revised by people other than Rachmaninoff. I felt that viewpoint was a bit over the top, because every harmony and melody in this piece is so Rachmaninoff'esque and a very mature Rachmaninoff at that.

[themusgrat]

I'll be honest, this is my favorite of Rachmaninoff's piano pieces. It's absolutely amazing, it's incredibly imaginative, but I'm glad it doesn't get overplayed.

[morvensky]

This piece is not bad, I do not understand why it is seldom played. It is not as good as any of the other piano concerti however. It is the most interesting and diverse melodically and harmonically IMO, but it is structurally irregular. That is the only imperfection with it though. It may also seem a little anti-climactic.

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

At times I get lost in this movement. Parts seem to ramble. Is it just me? But when it is beautiful and melodic it is superb. I can understand why it was fiercely critiqued upon debut.

[wnxg4nd4lf]

Each of his 4 concerts is a Masterpiece. Music of incredible beauty! I love every single note! And ofc Ashkenazy's performance is fabulous!

[FranzofL]

Of course it's Ashkenazy! He's just the best!

A great concerto... Unusual in all respects, but awesome nonetheless.

[jasonextreme]

God I hate politics...

[Clarkson007]

i know what you mean lol -how that applies

[jasonextreme]

Do you think it's because he's Russian and I'm an American musician that loves what he does?

[Clarkson007]

Oh no, You know how they praise some of the great artists about how they have far greater wisdom than any leaders and politicians. I thought you were just frustrated how politicians often end up leading us into some crap which if they were more in touch with harmony they wouldnt. ps You're not supposed to think about politics at all when judging music -we're all people!

[jasonextreme]

That's pretty much what I meant.

If you live in the woods for 2 years, cut off from the outside world, you tend to find a greater sort of happiness and solitude.

Besides, any piece of music that creates a sense of nationalism CAN in fact apply to politics(i.e. Star Spangled Banner, God Save the King, anthems, etc.)

[PhilipLu3]

lol, Henry David Thoreau

[ArturoAlejandroS]

jasonextreme and what is the problem with national music?

It's an expression of the human cultural diversity.

[vegatrev]

Alway's loved the music of Rachmaninov and this performance is wonderful. I enjoyed your video thank's for posting

[EarthaticFan]

very beautiful piece

[ArturoAlejandroS]

Where I can find the original version of 1926?

[aspergershawn]

@ArturoAlejandroS

if you mean the score it is available from Boosey and Hawkes for about $200 US, not kidding - maybe the price has gone down by now, but when I had the score of the manuscript version published around 2001 it was a perusal copy - I had it for free to look at and then return. To buy it, it was very expensive, I keep checking for a lower price, but no luck so far. check boosey and Hawkes web site

[aspergershawn]

boosey and hawkes - it is almost $200 US I'm not kidding, I had it for free to peruse while I thought about buying it, but it is too expensive, someday maybe, but I had it long enough to study the whole thing and learn it, it is the best version in my opinion - it has pages and pages of music he cut.

[DarkRaimundo]

Lovely clear version, thankyou so much for posting :)

[conejolua]

fantastic, good job

un saludo

Raul ...

[EttasFavourites]

Wonderful, wonderful Vladimir....

[HellenicMagic]

One of the best recordings EVER of this piece!

[ArturoAlejandroS]

I fully agree with you.Remember Rachmaninov,Luganksy,Michelang­eli.

I read that you played this concert first in Greece.That's great!

Do you know where I can find the 1927 or 1926 version?

Thanks.

[OldRabit]

Gorgeous.

[klingsor93]

This movement is as good as any of Rachmaninov's other Concertos. I only regret that it finishes so abruptly....

[Lebowski53]

That's what I like about it!