Search - Rachmaninoff, Sultanov, Lazarev :: Symphony 2 / Piano Concertos 2 & 3 / Vocalise

Tour de force!

Eksynapse@earthlink.com | Fort Worth, TX | 10/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the ten greatest living pianists at only 29 years of age, Alexei Sultanov is the youngest pianist ever to have won the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition (1989 at 19 years of age). He won the top honors at the 1996 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland, and turned the Tchaikovsky Competiton on its ear this year in Moscow. His artistry on this CD is unsurpassed."

A mixed bag

Gregory C. Dyer | Downingtown, PA USA | 01/05/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"You basically get what you pay for with this two-fer. The second symphony simply lacks the polish and depth that a better orchestra can bring to it. It's not totally dreadful, but it doesn't knock your socks off either. Berezovsky plays the third concerto very well through the first two movements, but fails to bring enough excitement to the finale. The recording, which focuses on the piano, highlights Berezovsky's wonderfully articulate finger work. Nonetheless, recordings like this one demonstrate why Argerich and Horowitz's performances, while at times lacking in note for note accuracy, are more entertaining because of their greater level of passion, particularly in the third movement. For those who may be interested, Berezovsky brilliantly performs the more difficult and bigger sounding of the two first movement cadenzas (it's just the finale that's a partial dud). Sultanov's second concerto is also very well-played, but again is nothing spectacular in comparison to classic performances like Richter's. In short, the concertos easily trump the symphony. This set gives you a good amount of music for the price; however, there are other recordings that offer a much better overall product if you're willing to pay more to get these wonderful pieces individually."