Piano Concerto No. 2

GRIMAUD ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA COBOS

It was the crowning conclusion of an extremely fruitful collaboration with DENON label: In 1985 the still very young Hélène Grimaud recorded the 2nd Piano Concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Ravel's Concerto in G major. The dream cast was complete with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London under the baton of Jesús López Cobos. Thanks to the cooperation with MDG, this long-out-of-print production is now available again - a great moment for all classical music lovers! With his Second Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff escaped an artistic crisis. He was highly acclaimed as a virtuoso, but his compositions were not well appreciated by colleagues and critics. His 1st symphony fell through completely and Rachmaninoff developed a depression which could only be cured by hypnosis. He then set to work with success: the concert is now one of the most popular with pianists and audiences alike. Equally outstanding is the G Major Concerto by Maurice Ravel: Basque-Spanish-French coloring meets modern jazz. Ravel actually wanted to premiere the three-movement work himself; etudes by Liszt and Chopin, which he studied eagerly in preparation, led to overwork and exhaustion. At least he found enough strength for the conductor's baton, and so the composer was able to accompany the famous Margueruite Long from his desk. Hélène Grimaud received a Grand Prix du Disque at the age of 16 for her Rachmaninoff Sonata and was celebrated by the press and organizers as a child prodigy. These exemplary recordings show in an impressive way that even at a young age she had much more to offer than quick fingers and rousing temperament.

Price: $27.98