Details: Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Stephen Hough and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, conductor A. Litton. Hyperion, 2004. Total time: 145:35.
Personal. Emotional. Romantic. These words can be used to describe Rachmaninov's music especially these pieces. Also he is a bridge between 19th and 20th centuries: perhaps more accurately his music sounds more 1800s than 1900s.
Ultimately it is musical and melodious--so much so that Eric Carmen lifted much of the 2nd movement of the 2nd concerto for his 1970s pop hit, "All By Myself," and parts of the soundtrack to the hit movie "Home Alone" sound inspired by Rhapsody on a Theme By Paganini (which itself was inspired by someone else).
My favorite is the 2nd concerto which is full of reflection and sounds very personal which it is. Rachmaninov reportedly struggled to compose it during a time of personal difficulty in his life and overcame creative challenges with the help of a therapist and wrote the beautiful opening chords of the 2nd concerto's first movement. This is a crowdpleasing, iconic piece of music and was featured in an iconic Marilyn Monroe movie, The Seven Year Itch.
The 3rd concerto is known as one of the most challenging accomplishments for any pianist to achieve and Stephen Hough is up to the challenge. The Dallas Symphony does a great job throughout. The 4 concerti were all recorded live while the Paganini variations apparently were not.
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