Search - Rachmaninoff, Anievas :: Piano Concertos

Heavenly performance of Rachmoninov's piano concertos.

Mandana Sheybani (msheybani@cs.com) | Boca Raton, Florida | 09/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a performance beyond any other. The orchestra sounds great, the pianist, Agustin Anievas, is incredible. There is so much harmony amongst the music, the piano and the orchestra. Rachmaninov's piano concertos(2 &3 specially) touch the soul, Agustin's amazing and the orchestra is no less, together they make this performance so fulfilling that you cannot wish anything was any different."

Beauty and skill

sal | Rockford, Illinois United States | 05/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first choice for the Rachmaninov concertos was Ashkenazy and Previn--technically perfect playing, I would say, but I found it rather lifeless. Great clarity in the recording, but a bit thin sounding.



This Anievas set, on the other hand, is full of passion. I cannot say for certain that it is as note-perfect as Ashkenazy, but it is amazing, all the same. The difference to me is the passion and fire that just gives absolute life to the music.



The quality of the recording is not as crystalline as the Ashkenazy set, but neither is it remote as the Ashkenazy set. Very enjoyable, an excellent purchase!

"

A Joy from Beginning to End

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was asked recently by a young man just discovering the joys of classical music if I knew of any recordings of the Rachmaninov concerti that I would recommend. It didn't take me a second to reply, 'Why, yes! Agustin Anievas.' Of course, this is not a name that most people would come up with. But I've been a fan of Anievas ever since perhaps forty years ago when I heard him play, in recital, a transcendent Chopin Op. 10 Études set. And he has recorded those, along with the Op. 25 set, brilliantly (and they're available here at Amazon, too, for a budget price). Anievas, an American pianist who has been the long-time chairman of the piano department at Brooklyn College, is noted for his musical insight coupled with brilliant technique. No matter what he plays he mixes Dionysian energy with Apollonian balance with utter clarity. This, for me, is the perfect combination for the Rachmaninov concerti and Rhapsody. And that's what we get here. Add to that the superb support of the New Philharmonia (as it was then called) at a time in its history when one of its most compelling characteristics was its rich, luscious playing. Perfect. Of course, another plus for this set is its budget price. I supposed that's because these performances were recorded about thirty-five years ago, but they are in sterling sound. There are three conductors: Frühbeck de Burgos for Concertos 1 & 4, Moshe Atzmon for Concerto 2 and the Rhapsody, and Aldo Ceccato for Concerto 3. There is really nothing to choose between them; they are all quite good. I have, frankly, never heard better recordings of Nos. 1 and 4, those unfortunately rarely-played stepchildren in Rachmaninov's concerto output. And the Third is easily one of the top three, in my book. An easy recommendation. Scott Morrison"