The late Hungarian pianist/conductor
Zoltán Kocsis’ recordings of the four piano concertos of Sergei Rachmaninoff with
the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Edo de Waart were my introduction
to these warhorse pieces. To my ears, they are the definitive versions and the other
recordings out there, I just consider as various interpretations.
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| Pianist Zoltán Kocsis |
This is why I felt immense
sadness when I learned about Kocsis’ death back in November 2016. Kocsis may
not be a household name to most music enthusiasts here. But I think that it is very
likey they’ve encountered his sublime transcription of Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise
for the solo piano.
Later this month, pianist Raul
Sunico will have another go at performing the four Rachmaninoff piano concertos
in just one night. Sunico made waves when he became the first in the world to ever
attempt and achieve this feat back in 2003. This means that it’s time once
again to put Kocsis’ recordings for some spins in preparation for this upcoming
concert.
This 2 disc gem not only includes Rachmaninoff's four piano concertos, (Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40) but also the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, and his arrangement of Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14.
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