Michael Cooper wrote:

>I also find this with Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances (incidentally,
>another of my "greatest pieces of music"...  comments and flames welcome),
>which I knew for years only as orchestral music, then fell in love with
>as piano music through the Ashkenazy/Previn recording, and now I prefer
>the two piano version, although I still love both.  (Don't care much for
>Argerich/Rabinovitch, which fact surprises me.)

Ahah!  I agree with you 100%, and I was surprised, too, after reading
all the hoo-ha about Argerich.  But Ashkenazy/Previn bring out important
melody lines that are forgotten and swallowed up by the other pair.  They
are true chamber musicians.  That Ashenazy/Previn set is one of my very
all-time favorites!  It's on a moderately priced two-fer and also contains
the suites.

Mimi Ezust