2nd Piano Concerto Study

[Sarahq]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and was wondering if anyone could help me. I am a postgraduate student in the UK studying music. I am writing a dissertation on the effects recordings have on our interpretations of music and how this changes over time. I am specifically focusing this on Rach's 2nd piano concerto and have acquired 14 copies of it so far. At the moment I am struggling to find earlier recordings (from the 20's, 30's and 40's specifically) and literature, not so much on recordings but on the piece in particular. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction and recommend early recordings and literature that would be able to help me? Thank you

Sarah

[RACHBOY]

Welcome to the Forum!
You of course have to start with Sergei Rachmaninoff's own recordings, if I am not mistaken he recorded the 2nd Concerto twice.

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and was wondering if anyone could help me. I am a postgraduate student in the UK studying music. I am writing a dissertation on the effects recordings have on our interpretations of music and how this changes over time. I am specifically focusing this on Rach's 2nd piano concerto and have acquired 14 copies of it so far. At the moment I am struggling to find earlier recordings (from the 20's, 30's and 40's specifically) and literature, not so much on recordings but on the piece in particular. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction and recommend early recordings and literature that would be able to help me? Thank you

Sarah

[Sarahq]

Thanks. I've been lucky enough to get my hands on both those recordings. I just can't seem to find anyone else from around the same time who recorded it. Do you know of any others?

Thanks

Sarah

[morakeo]

Hello and welcome. The only one I can remember now is by Walter Gieseking with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Willem Mengelberg (October 1940).

I also remembered Benno Moiseiwitsch with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Hugo Rignold (I think it's around late 40's - early 50's) and William Kapell with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra under William Steinberg (July 1950).

[RACHBOY]

Anyone know of other 2nd Piano Concerto recordings from before 1940?

\

Hello and welcome. The only one I can remember now is by Walter Gieseking with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Willem Mengelberg (October 1940).

I also remembered Benno Moiseiwitsch with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Hugo Rignold (I think it's around late 40's - early 50's) and William Kapell with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra under William Steinberg (July 1950).

[mikhailp]

isnt there a recording of the premeir? Also i think i recall rubinstein recording it, can't tell you when or with whom though =/

[Sarahq]

I managed to find a list of all early recordings at the British Library. First recording is 1929, with Rachmaninoff himself, then the next one is 1939, Moisewitsch, after that there's Eileen Joyce in 1946 and Rubinstein. There were very few early recordings. Does anyone know how I can go about finding a review of the early live performances and the premiere of this work?

[Sarahq]

Does anyone know which copy of the score is the urtext edition? Thanks

[Marianne]

Thank you for such interesting research! Hope you will share the results with us!

Here is the record by Benno Moiseiwitsch
http://www*youtube*com/watch?v=PFGPCSt55Z4

They say Recording late 30s, conductor Goehr

[morakeo]

Which Goehr is this? Do you know?

[Marianne]

Lets ask the downloader!
The name of Goehr is new to me!

[Marianne]

I guess Walter Goehr was mentioned

Plus I want to add some links, some funny, some serious enough:

youtube*com/watch?v=7silMjqeotM

youtube*com/watch?v=ZcSASogJXRA

on the second record the pianist was born blind, it means he had the same talent to hear music like Rachmaninoff had

[kurtdaniel]

what a beautiful choice! Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto is absolutely wonderful at all levels. I enrolled piano lessons because of this..

[Marianne]

The record of the third movement only EILEEN JOYCE 1941

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZW0XRxLF60

Tom Barrister commented that
"It's the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf"

Amazing interpretation, so vivid, so youthful, so passionate and full of life. Overhelming! Absolutely unrivaled version.

Reminds me somehow a record of Vasiliy Sapelnikoff playing 1st concert of Tchaikovsky: youtube*com/watch?v=dzYFDtXF0_U

As for the earliest records of the Second concerto - there is a record made in 1948 by Rosa Tamarkina
youtube*com/watch?v=U0gmCFY0PRE

[Marianne]

The description of the music of the movie "Bried Encounter" released on 13 November 1945

Excerpts from Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 recur throughout the film, played by Eileen Joyce. There is also a scene in a tea room where a salon orchestra plays the Spanish Dance No. 5 (Bolero) by Moritz Moszkowski.