John Smyth <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 

>When you get a chance, you might want to take a listen to Rachmaninoff's
own performances of his Piano Concerto with Ormandy and Stokowski on
RCA.  I found a beautiful Lp set and listened to it recently.  What
bowled me over was the detachment of the piano playing--no tearing apart
of the soul, no looking into the abyss, etc.  Rachmaninoff's playing was
crisp, clear, "unaffectated," no lolligagging around with excessive
ritards, and...he makes clunkers!!!  Rachmaninoff makes mistakes!  Who
would have thought??

Funny how we all hear things differently.  For me, Rachmaninoff's
playing was like looking into the abyss, yet he did not do so with any
self indulgent sentimentality.  His playing was, for me, always came
from the soul.  I am reminded how many used to fault the music as being
self indulgent, but rarely faulted his playing in those terms.  He
certainly didn't "soup it up," with excess in either his playing or,
for me, in his music.

As for the wrong notes...I don't remember any...if I missed them...maybe
he made them sound "right" to me.

What saddens me is that his live performances do not survive.  I have
often wondered if he played differently for an audience than he did for
the recording machine.

Karl

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