Search - Sergey Rachmaninov, Lorin Maazel, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Rachmaninov: 3 Symphonies

Some expert conducting is let down by colorless sound

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 12/28/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Maazel's Rachmaninov First from 1984 got good reviews, and my curiosity was piqued. When else would one get to hear the august Berlin Phil. in this repertoire? Karajan avoided it entirely, although there's an exciting Rachmaninov Second under Semyon Bychkov on Philips. As it turns out, Maazel does a more than creditable job. He's always been good in Franco-Russian music, and here he captures the sweep of Rachmaninov's idiom without lapsing into swoons or Hollywood kitsch. The Second offers fierce competiiton, but in the lesser known First and Third Sym. I found Maazel very convincing, just short of the best Russians.



Since Rachmaninov tends to wander in the baggy construciton of his symphonies, it helps that Maazel's pacing is almost always on the brisk side; you never feel that he's meandering. Thanks to his technical skills, the Berliners play with alertness. Too bad that the early digital sound from these years (1981-84) is rather distant and resonant. We lose a lot of the visceral impact this orchestra displays, with particularly diminished strings. The overall sonic effect is too dry and lacking in color. If it were not for that flaw, these performances are certainly worth four stars, and another half star for the First Sym."