Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 5 - Denis Matsuev 1st mov part I

[myfmhighlights]

I really oppose the idea of calling it "Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #5" because in no way is it a Rachmaninoff piano concerto. With that said this is a wonderfully beautiful transcription true to the style of Rachmaninoff.

[keybawd]

First of all Thanks for posting. Extremely interesting but in the end I think the arrangement is horrible and does no service at all to the symphony. The piano writing often sounds more like Bath's Cornish Rhapsody or The Warsaw Concerto, sometimes it's simply meretricious. The piano & orchestra version of the Dminor piano trio is far superior as a "new" Rachmaninov concerto.

[bervy8]

OMG, is he reading from sheet music?

[lucas6153]

Awesome! I didn´t know that this transcription exists. Symphony 2, the best than others. (FROM ARG)

[lucas6153]

Awesome! I didn´t know that this transcription exist. Symphony 2, the best than others. (FROM ARG)

[Vampianist3]

This transcription is magnificent! I can't help but listen to it nearly eveyday. My Itouch showed that within couple f months I have listened to the whole concerto about 1400 times. I've been looking for the piano score for a long time, does anyone have it?

[SergRach1]

@Vampianist3 Boosey & Hawkes! :)

[mostrodav]

This piece was originally a simphony (2 in E minor sorry). I always think in the simphony like a masterpiece, but the work of Warenberg in the transcription is equally great. Probably he doesn´t give anything new, but i think it´s just like Rachmaninoff should do if he wanted a piano concerto. Many people don´t like the idea of a piano concerto with a pice wich originally wasn´t. I think that many composers incluiding Rach take pieces from others and make variations and other works.

[mostrodav]

This piece was originally a simphony (2 in c minor). I always think in the simphony like a masterpiece, but the work of Warenberg in the transcription is equally great. Probably he doesn´t give anything new, but i think it´s just like Rachmaninoff should do if he wanted a piano concerto. Many people don´t like the idea of a piano concerto with a pice wich originally wasn´t. I think that many composers incluiding Rach take pieces from others and make variations and other works.

[MrPizzazz79]

personally speaking as a huge admirer of the E minor Symphony, i really feel the transcription DOES work, so long as you are prepared to listen to it on its own terms, therefore as a piano concerto. Kudos to Alexander Warenberg for creating such idiomatic Rachmaninovian textures- especially the clever links texturally and architecturally to the 3rd Piano concerto.

[belegSJ]

It's quite funny actually: I enjoy this arrangement more without the orchestra. I've listened Valentina Lisitsa's solo rehearsal so many times that I've become very used to it.. The orchestra sounds odd to my ears now! I highly recommend everyone to listen Lisitsa's recording!

I like the original symphony the most, of course! But I do love the arrangement as well, when played solo. When those two are combined, however, the result sounds clumsy somehow.

[belegSJ]

@1Thompsonmusic Well I didn't exactly command you to listen to her, did I? I only said that I enjoy the solo performance more, and as there is only one solo performance in YouTube (Lisitsa's) I recommended hers. I might be wrong, though - I haven't checked the entire YouTube for solo performances of this concerto...

And by the way, Valentina is amazing. :P But that's just my opinion.

[WVorganstudent]

I do not feel that this transcription needs revised a little. It just feels like you can still easily remove the piano an it still sounds like the original symphony. it is a good concerto when you cannot separate the piano from the orchestra.

[ungava100]

This is pretty traumatic. However, if you want to hear it very beautifully played, YouTube the Rotterdam performance of Warenberg's transcription. It is hard to imagine , after listening to this, just how gorgeous this music can really sound.

[SertavisSaviPianist]

The piano arrangement is very nice, but I think it should be kept separate, the Symphony and the piano do not complement each other in many areas, so it sounds kind of off, which is no good in my opinion. Rachmaninoff's real piano Concerto's never had this problem. But really I enjoy just listening to the piano. :)

[timflatus]

Awful - this is a terrible rearrangement of Symphony No.2 by someone who completely misunderstands Rachmaninoff. Avoid with extreme prejudice!

[NOSEhow2LIV]

The piano simply can't find its rôle, neither truly protagonist nor accompanist. The solo writing is Tchaikollywoodowszkovski,(take your pick). Grafting a solo onto a symphonic work is not enough to make a "concerto."The piano/orch relationship needs to be recomposed for better defined exchanges & flow, and the solo part needs working by someone who understands Rach's style,(Earl Wild springs to mind- too late now, or Volodos.......)But in any case, the original is too strong for this mess.

[BrookHornblower]

it's excellent - or else no one would perform it

[mytchilla]

This seems to be some compilation and eclecticism of randomly chosen Rachmaninov's pianistic factures, but it is - of course - not enough to compare with his original works. I think it is senseless, and the Symphony is complete enough in it's original version.

In other words - this is kitsch, why would somebody have written /practiced/ listened to this? :D

[TheAspenTom]

There are several prominent examples of people arranging composers' works for other combinations and of composers making such arrangements themselves.  Beethoven arranged his violin concerto for piano and orchestra; Bach made several arrangements of concertos for other instruments. This one is particularly well-crafted and was overseen by Boosey and Hawkes and with the knowledge of Rachmaninoff's grandson.

[marcohorowitz8]

this is simply an arrangement for piano and orchestra of Rachmaninov's second symphony. What's the point?

[mrjlowitz]

I'm a memeber of the Rachmaninoff Society and there has been a recent discussion of this piece on our website, Basically saying that this never has been an original concerto and was never written as such by the composer. And yes there IS proof that he didn't write this piece!

I think it is rather trite and belongs in the category of Addensell's "Warsaw Concerto" if that. Nice try though. It might even make interesting ballet music?

J. Lowitz

[cpanati]

Yes, you shouldn't convert someone else's symphony into a piano concerto; and yes it lacks any original imagination Rach himself would have brought to the piece; nonetheless, it's well-done; and since I'm a sucker for piano concertos, I bought the CD and have thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, there are now five Rach concertos. Lord, forgive me.

[mikenbondi]

@cpanati Doing such an arrangement is just as valid as Bach's arrangements of other composers works, or similar types of arrangements by Liszt and many other fine composer-performers. You can judge each transcription on its individual merits, but there is no reason why they shouldn't be done.

[aslanov]

this is just the second symphony...and frankly sounds better with orchestral instruments instead of the piano....the piano just sounds like it doesn't belong here

[mrjlowitz]

Anyone have proof that this truly written as piano concerto by Rachmaninoff? Sounds totally weird as a transposition of the symphonies? Any proof?

[ThaSchwab]

This

[ThaSchwab]

@mrjlowitz This is an arrangement. Rachmaninoff only wrote four concerti, and died long before this was first published. I have a feeling he wouldn't approve, but I guess the arranger did a good job.

[GregLile]

@mrjlowitz Nobody involved with this 21st century project claims that it was written for piano and orchestra by Rachmaninoff. I think the title choice is silly from all standpoints other than marketing. The only piano version of this symphony that was approved by Rachmaninoff is a two-piano (no orchestra) version arranged by Wilschau in 1910.

[iLoveChopin]

thats pretty good. but why is he reading the score?

[GregLile]

@iLoveChopin Because he wanted to. There's nothing wrong with playing from the score when you play on his level.

[JureGorucan]

OMG how can this man sit that close to the piano. I'd break my arms.

[1PianoJo1]

it's not the 5th concerto^^ it actually does not exist :D

[SergRach1]

No, Actually it does exist !

[massimiliano123123]

@SergRach1 It does not exist. Rach 5 is a "trascription" for piano and orchestra of Rachmaninov's second symphony by Alexander Warenberg.

[morakeo]

@1PianoJo1 you're right! It doesn't exist. If I make a Symphony out of Rachmaninoff's 1st Piano Concerto it won't Rachmaninoff's Symphony No.4! Jesus, what ignorants! And they don't even have the slightest decency not to publish and name such a work as Rachmaninoff's 5th Concerto! My God... Maybe we will also here Beethoven's 2nd Violin Concerto and Shostakovich's 4th Viola Concerto in the near future...

[L1ttl3Karl0s]

@1PianoJo1 its a transcription Warenberg did from Rachmaninovs' 1st Symphony if i'm not wrong

[SergRach1]

@L1ttl3Karl0s It's a transcription from Rachmaninoffs 2nd Symphony

[L1ttl3Karl0s]

@SergRach1 so i was wrong :D

but yh it was transcribed and it's like Rachmaninovs Concerto... funny isn't it?

[SergRach1]

@L1ttl3Karl0s Yes indeed !

[nextren]

This piece is a travesty. It's bits from Rachmaninov's Second Symphony, strung together and given a dishonest label ("Fifth Concerto"). Rachmaninoff did not write a Fifth Concerto. Why make this phony piece? For money of course. Audiences want to hear more Rachmaninov, even though Rachmaninov didn't write more. Today's composers can go suck a lemon or work at MacDonalds.

[armpiano]

Too slow!! Rachmaninov would have played it twice faster.

[IVlr3vil]

Dang that's amazing.