Robert's Discs

Rachmaninoff: The Two Piano Sonatas

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Repertoire

Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28
Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36 (Silverman's edition combines both versions)
Orpheum Masters KSP 802

Reviews

"Silverman’s performance (of Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Sonata in D Minor) is a gradually expanding one. His shaping of the multiple elements that structure the first movement is impeccable. The deeply resonant sound of the piano enhances its great drama. But wait till you get to the unspeakably beautiful Lento. Few pianists can float treble melodies as sensitively as Silverman can. I’ve heard no other pianist play this movement with such consummate poignance. The tone bespeaks regret and loss, but it is also phenomenally gorgeous. The sound of the recording is spacious and full. Certainly, this recording must be included in the top two or three outstanding renditions I have ever heard.

Silverman begins the first movement (of the Second Sonata) with that thunderous descending run that inevitably tells you, right off, what kind of performance you’re in for. Silverman builds the movement with huge cascades of rich sound. He mines the inner voices of the second movement, Non allegro, with exquisite care and sensitivity. But the most impressive part of the performance is the way he transforms the sprawling text of the third movement into a tight, coherent masterpiece. His deliberate, gradually developed performance rises to an astounding climax. You forget the virtuosity because the playing is so musical and rich. I cannot recommend these recordings highly enough. Silverman has taken his place in my pantheon of Rachmaninoff experts."
...Fanfare (July-August, 2004)