December 2004
Apparently not high enough! Time and again, I was amazed at the felicitous surprises Hough and Litton seem to have discovered in the score. From the martial beat six minutes into the first movement of the Second Concerto to the delicate skittle as Litton holds the orchestra in perfect balance with Hough in Variation X of the Rhapsody, details were exposed with precision. When it came time for some heart, like the famous Variation XVIII, or some sinew, as in the ending movement of the Fourth Concerto, pianist, conductor and orchestra were channeling Rachmaninov. After two and a half hours of listening, I started pulling out old recordings for comparison’s sake: Rubenstein and Reiner, Rachmaninov and Stowkowski, Janis and Dorati, Wild and Horenstein. I am now of the firm belief that Hough and Litton have recorded the definitive set of the Rachmaninov Concertos. Hyperion’s engineering is demonstration quality and the discs sound superb as CDs or multichannel SACDs. The differences arise where you would expect, the SACD layer being more delicately etched and throwing a wider and deeper soundstage. The CD layer is stunning in its own right. My only complaint, and it is insignificant, is that the concertos are live recordings with outbursts of applause at the end that I wish that could have been edited out. Honestly, if I had been in the audience, I would have applauded, too. This is the 2004 classical recording of the year. GO BACK TO: |
Sergei
Rachmaninov - The Piano Concertos; Paganini Rhapsody
