Tab Article

"[His] recital at the Festival Hall in June was final proof, if it were still needed, that Zimerman merits a place among the greatest pianists of all time."
The Guardian, 21 December 2001

Deutsche Grammophon is releasing recordings of the Rachmaninov First and Second Piano Concertos that Zimerman has made with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Content:

Concerto for piano and Orchestra No.1 in F sharp minor, op. 1 - [26'32]

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.2 in C minor, op. 18 - [35'35]

This is the pianist's first new CD since the Chopin concertos were released in 1999. In that award-winning recording Zimerman, from the keyboard, conducts the Polish Festival Orchestra, which he formed expressly for a tour featuring the two concertos in the 150th anniversary year of Chopin's death. Zimerman is renowned for his exacting artistic standards and uncompromising approach to performance, endowing his every venture with a tremendous sense of occasion. The Rachmaninov concertos are no exception . . .

"I adore Rachmaninov as a pianist as well as a composer. His recording of the First Concerto is absolute genius - he said everything there is to be said about this work.

His recording of the Second Concerto, however, has always been an enigma to me: I feel that this performance doesn't really explain what is inside this music. When I worked with Lutoslawski on his piano concerto, I remember him telling me that when he conducted his own pieces he felt that the one thing he could never dare to say to the orchestra was "Play it more beautifully because it's a fantastic piece!"

So I wonder if in this recording Rachmaninov was maybe afraid of his own feelings, afraid to interpret it in a way that is truly touching, in case it sounds self-indulgent - I don't know how far it represents his real feelings about the work. I was looking for clues to the piece and went to Philadelphia to see the original score, and I found that it included pencil marks from Rachmaninov showing where you should really let go and knock yourself out!"
Krystian Zimerman