Rachmaninoff - The Piano Concertos & Paganini Rhapsody - Yuja Wang, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel (3LPs)
Piano - Yuja Wang
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Music & artistic director - Gustavo Dudamel
Composed by Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
3 LPs, Gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : unspecified (Germany)
Label : Deutsche Grammophon
Original Label : Deutsche Grammophon
Recorded in February 2023 at Los Angeles, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Engineered and mixed by Alexander Lipay and Dmitriy Lipay
Produced by Dmitriy Lipay
Executive Producer - Angelika Meissner
Photography by Craig Mathew, Ryan Buchanan
Design by Anja Hoppe
Liner Notes by John Henken
Originally released in September 2023
Reissued in 2024
Tracks:
S
Side A: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN F SHARP MINOR OP. 1 - FINAL VERSION 1917
1. Vivace – Moderato – Vivace
2. Andante
3. Allegro vivace
Side B: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 4 IN G MINOR OP. 40 - THIRD VERSION 1941
1. Allegro vivace
2. Largo
3. Allegro vivace
Side C : Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini Op. 43
Side D: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor Op. 18
1. Moderato - Più Vivo - Allegro - Maestoso (Alla Marcia) - Moderato
2. Adagio Sostenuto
Side E:
1. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor Op. 18 - Allegro Scherzando - Moderato - Allegro Scherzando - Presto - Moderato - Allegro Scherzando - Alla Breve. Agitato - Presto - Maestoso - Risoluto
2. Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor Op. 30 - Allegro Ma Non Tanto
Side F : Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor Op. 30
1. Intermezzo. Adagio
2. Finale. Alla Breve
Reviews :
"Marking the 150th anniversary year of Rachmaninov's birth, these 2023 concerts from Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles offer state-of-the-art readings of the composer's concerts from some of today's biggest stars, pianist Yuja Wang and conductor Gustavo Dudamel, leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. One of the concerts also happened to fall on Wang's 36th birthday, and perhaps the set offers a good place to check in on her as she enters mid-career. She is certainly a pianist of inexhaustible energy, having performed all five of these works in one day with the Philadelphia Orchestra not long before these recordings were made (on successive nights). She has these monuments of the virtuoso repertory down cold, applying pedal sparingly so as to emphasize the crystalline perfection of her fingering. She is also suited to the repertory; there is nobody that one would rather hear in the clattering finale of the Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30. The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, has wonderful forward energy, which Wang and Dudamel share. Its famous 18th variation, however, lacks warmth, and there are places where it all seems a bit too perfect, a bit over-rehearsed. Deutsche Grammophon's sound may contribute to this impression; these were live recordings, but they sound as though they could have been made in a studio. These words of caution, however, may be mere nitpicking; these are, by any standard, very fine performances of Rachmaninov." AllMusic Review by James Manheim
"Wang played with extraordinary power, depth and brilliance. Dudamel sought enlightenment. The pianist and conductor have a long musical relationship, and it showed. What impressed most was the concentration. As soon as each performance began, everything else seemed to disappear." Los Angeles Times
This ambitious project presents Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody. The five works were recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall by Yuja Wang, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel in February, as part of this year’s Rachmaninoff 150 celebrations. Now you can enjoy every note of their sold-out and critically acclaimed performances.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.76 / 5