Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4, Paganini Rhapsody (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op 1 (1919 version); Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 (1941 version); Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43. Abbey Simon, piano; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor. VOX-NX-3030CD

 Collectors have waited nine long months for this baby. Back in March of 2023 we reviewed the Naxos release of Abbey Simon’s traversal of the Rachmaninoff (today’s preferred spelling) Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 (you can read that review here) as part of their ongoing project of giving new life to classic recorded performances from the Vox catalog. Many experienced music lovers of a certain age are probably familiar with Vox, a budget label that produced some real gems back in the day. Although Vox was a budget label, the sound quality on some of their releases was superb, especially those recorded by Elite Recordings (engineer Marc Aubort and producer Joanna Nickrenz. Vox’s vinyl pressings were often substandard, unfortunately, which meant that what had been captured on the master tapes was not fully realized when played back on even the finest of listening equipment in music lovers’ homes. 

 

But thanks to contemporary digital technology, the engineers at Naxos have been able to go back to the original analog master tapes and create high-definition digital masters that preserve as faithfully as possible the sound that was originally captured by Elite Recordings in 1976 and 1977 when these musicians were originally assembled at Powell Hall in St. Louis. The efforts of those engineers have helped ensure that for music lovers, the wait was worth it, as both the music and the sound on this new release are first-rate. These “outer” concertos of Rachmaninoff are great fun, marked by energy and enthusiasm, which Simon, Slatkin, and the SLSO deliver in abundance without ever getting carried away into histrionics. As a bonus, we get a fine performance of the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. Two less familiar and one more familiar works for piano and orchestra by one of the most towering masters of the keyboard are presented here by a pianist, conductor, and orchestra who all merit greater reputations than they currently possess. Those who listen to these performances that Elite Recordings so expertly recorded and Naxos so faithfully transferred to contemporary high-definition digital format for music lovers to enjoy via streaming and CD will likely raise their estimation of all involved.