Olivier writes:

>...  and, of course, he's Russian, which brings me back to my
>original point in that I do vehemently believe that they are more
>contemplative than most other musicians.

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??

John Smyth
Sac, CA

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